Communication systems for patient support apparatuses

ABSTRACT

A patient support apparatus, such as a bed, cot, stretcher, or the like, uses the ability to communicate with a device via near field communication to determine that the device is physically proximate the support apparatus. The support apparatus uses this determination to associate itself with the device. In some instances, the associated device is a mattress positioned on the support apparatus; a footboard on the support apparatus; a medical device used with a patient supported on the support device; a nearby piece of furniture; another patient support apparatus; or an ID tag worn by a caregiver or patient, or attached to a piece of equipment. After the support apparatus and device are associated, they communicate information between each other using far field communication, which supports higher data transfer rates. Flux concentrators are added in some embodiments to extend and/or shape the range of near the field communication.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.61/701,943 filed Sep. 17, 2012 by applicants Michael Hayes et al. andentitled COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES, thecomplete disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to patient support apparatuses—such as,but not limited to, beds, cots, stretchers, chairs, operating tables,and the like—and more particularly to wireless communication systems forsuch patient support apparatuses.

Patient support apparatuses are generally assigned to a specific patientwhile the patient stays in the hospital or other healthcare facility.While the patient is assigned to a particular support apparatus, thereare often one or more medical devices that are used in the treatment ofthat individual. Such medical devices often generate information that isusefully recorded in that particular patient's medical records, orotherwise forwarded to the caregivers. In order for that information toget into the right person's medical records, there must be anassociation that is made between that particular patient and thatparticular medical device. In other words, either the medical deviceitself, or the computer device receiving the information from themedical device, must be configured to match the data it is generatingwith the particular patient for whom the medical device is being used totreat. In the past, this association of medical devices to specificpatients could be a time consuming process, particularly where there aremultiple such medical devices being used.

In addition to medical devices, there are other situations in ahealthcare setting where it is desirable to associate one electronicdevice with another electronic device, or an electronic device with acaregiver, or other object. Such situations arise frequently, but notexclusively, where the electronic devices communicate wirelessly.Because wireless communication often has a range that will encompassrelatively large areas, a first device that sends out RF signals to asecond device may receive responses from multiple ones of the seconddevice—some of which may be in the same room, and others which may be indifferent rooms or other locations within the healthcare facility. Insuch cases, it may not be possible for the first device to determinewhich of the multiple second devices, if any, it should be associatedwith.

In still other situations, regardless of any association or lack ofassociation between a patient support apparatus and another device,patient support apparatuses may include one or more electrical actuatorsand/or controllers that need to communicate with each other, and/or tocommunicate with objects that are either spaced from the patient supportapparatus, or that are designed to be removable from the patient supportapparatus. Often times this type of communication is carried out bywired connections. In some instances, however, there are disadvantagesto using wired communications. Still further, there may bedisadvantages, such as undue power consumptions and/or interferenceissues with using conventional wireless communication.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general, the present invention relates to improved communicationsystems for patient support apparatuses. In some embodiments, theimproved communications assist in the ability of one device to associateitself with another device, and/or for one device to determine itslocation within a healthcare facility. In many embodiments, the improvedcommunications are wireless communications, although the improvedcommunications are not exclusive to wireless. In some embodiments, nearfield communications are used as a proxy for determining associationsamongst wirelessly communicating devices due to the limited physicalrange of the near field communications. In other words, if two devicesare able to communicate with each other using near field communication,they must be located within a certain relatively close range, and giventhat close range, a determination can be made as to whether the devicesare likely associated with each other or not. In still otherembodiments, far field communication is incorporated into the patientsupport apparatus, either alone or in combination with the near fieldcommunication, and used for determining associations and/or forcommunicating data at a rate higher than what is possible using nearfield communications.

In still other embodiments, near field communication is used towirelessly communicate between two components, one or both of which maybe located on a patient support apparatus. Such near field communicationis especially useful where wired communications between the twocomponents may be undesirable for one or more reasons. In still otherembodiments, near field communications between the patient supportapparatus and the intended recipient—whether located on the patientsupport apparatus or elsewhere—is improved through the use of one ormore flux concentrators that concentrate the magnetic flux lines nearone or both of the communicating transceivers, thereby increasing therange of the near field communications and/or reducing the powerconsumption required for the near field communications.

According to one embodiment, a patient support apparatus is providedthat includes a patient support deck, a controller, a near fieldcommunication transceiver, and a far field communication transceiver.The patient support deck is adapted to support a patient thereon. Thecontroller is adapted to control at least one aspect of the patientsupport apparatus. The near field and far field communicationtransceivers are adapted to both be able to communicate with the samedevice.

According to another embodiment, a patient support apparatus is providedthat includes a patient support deck, a near field communicationstransceiver, and a controller. The support deck is adapted to support apatient thereon. The near field communication transceiver is adapted tocommunicate with a device if the device is positioned within a nearfield vicinity of the near field communication transceiver. Thecontroller communicates with the near field communication transceiver,and is adapted to associate the patient support apparatus and the deviceif the near field communication transceiver is able to communicate withthe device.

According to still another embodiment, a method of associating a patientsupport apparatus with a device is provided. The method includestransmitting a message from the patient support apparatus to the deviceusing a near field communications transceiver; receiving a response fromthe device if the device is within range of the near fieldcommunications transceiver; and associating the device with the patientsupport apparatus if a response is received by the near fieldcommunications transceiver from the device.

According to still another embodiment, a patient support apparatus isprovided that includes a patient support deck, a first near fieldcommunication transceiver, and a second near field communicationtransceiver. The patient support deck is adapted to support a patientthereon. The first near field communication transceiver is positioned ata first location on the patient support apparatus. The second fieldcommunication transceiver is positioned at a second location on thepatient support apparatus wherein the first and second near fieldcommunication transceivers are adapted to communicate with each otherusing near field communication.

According to yet another embodiment, a patient support apparatus isprovided that includes a patient support deck, a near fieldcommunications transceiver, and a flux concentrator. The near fieldcommunications transceiver is positioned at a first location on thepatient support apparatus, and the flux concentrator is positionedadjacent to the near field communication transceiver.

According to still other aspects, the controller in any of the aboveembodiments may be adapted to communicate with the device first using anear field communication transceiver and second using a far fieldcommunication transceiver. No association is made between the patientsupport apparatus and a device if the near field communicationstransceiver is not able to establish communication with the device,despite the fact that a far field communications transceiver is able toestablish communication with the device.

The device with which the near field communications transceivercommunicates may be any one or more of a mattress positioned on thepatient support deck, a pendant positioned on the patient supportapparatus, a medical device associated with a patient supported on thepatient support apparatus, a piece of furniture, a footboard on thepatient support apparatus, a portable computing device that may betransported by authorized personnel, a brake on the patient supportapparatus, a swivel lock actuator for locking and unlocking a swiveledcaster wheel on the patient support apparatus, a lift for raising andlowering a patient support deck of a cot, or still other structures.

In those instances where one or more flux concentrators are used inconjunction with the near field communications, the flux concentratormay be a resonant antenna. The flux concentrator(s) may be positionedbetween the near field communication transceivers, or in some cases,they are positioned adjacent to one or more of the transceivers, but notnecessarily between the two. In some embodiments, a controller isincluded that turns on and off one or more of the flux concentrators.The controller turns on and off the flux concentrators in any one ormore of several different manners, such as: opening and closing acircuit within the flux concentrator, changing an orientation of theflux concentrator relative to the near field communications transceiver,changing a gap between a pair of resonant antennas, and sliding one orboth of a pair of parallel resonant antennas to different positions inparallel planes. In still other instances, there are up to three or morenear field communication transceivers on the patient support apparatus,and in such cases three or more flux concentrators may be used.Depending upon the specific embodiment, a flux concentrator may beintegrated into a cover of a mattress positioned on the patient supportapparatus, particularly in those embodiments where a controller insideof the mattress communicates with a component external to the mattressvia near field communication.

The patient support apparatus may be one of a bed, a stretcher, a cot, arecliner, an operating table, a chair, or other structure adapted toallow a patient to sit or lie thereon. In some embodiments, the patientsupport apparatus includes a base having a plurality of wheels, a heightadjustment mechanism for raising and lowering the support deck withrespect to the base, and a plurality of side rails positioned alongrespective sides of the patient support deck. The side rails, in someembodiments, are movable between a raised and a lowered position.

In some embodiments, a controller on the patient support apparatusforwards data to a location remote from the support apparatus thatindicates the association between the support apparatus and the device,or that includes other data related to either the patient supportapparatus or the device itself. The data is forwarded wirelessly using afar field communications transceiver. The recipient of the data may be ahealthcare computer network, such as, but not limited to, an Ethernet.The far field communications transceiver may be the same or differentfrom a far field communications transceiver that, in some embodiments,also communicates with the device. The far field communicationstransceiver may be a WIFI device (IEEE 802.11) that forwards the data tothe healthcare computer network. The data forwarded by the patientsupport apparatus to the healthcare network, in some instances, includesdata indicative of the location of the patient support apparatus and/orthe device.

A controller on the patient support apparatus may further be configuredto determine an identity of the device by communicating with it througheither near field or far field communication transceivers. One or moredisplays may be included on the patient support apparatus that displaythe identity of the device and/or information indicating the associationbetween the device and the patient support apparatus. A user inputdevice—such as, but not limited to, a keypad, one or more buttons, atouch screen, one or more switches, or the like—is included on thepatient support apparatus and adapted to allow a user to either accept adisplayed association with the device or to override the displayedassociation.

In some embodiments, the patient support apparatus will include multiplenear field communication transceivers. In some of such embodiments, oneof the near field communications transceivers is positioned on a firstside of the patient support apparatus while the other of the near fieldcommunications transceivers is positioned on a second side of thepatient support apparatus opposite the first side. In such embodiments,the patient support apparatus may communicate via near fieldcommunications with an adjacent bed, stretcher, chair, cot, or otherpatient support apparatus, or it may communicate with a medical devicepositioned alongside the patient support apparatus, or it maycommunicate with an RF ID tag worn by a caregiver or attached to adevice, or it may communicate with still other devices.

The patient support apparatus may further be configured to communicateinformation to the device using either the near field communicationstransceiver, or a far field communications transceiver (if so equipped).Such information may include an ID of the patient support apparatus.Alternatively, or in addition thereto, the information may includeinformation about the patient being supported on the patient supportapparatus. Still further, the information may include information thatidentifies the room in which the patient support apparatus is located,and/or a bay within the room, or includes information enabling thedevice to determine its room location and/or bay location within thehealthcare facility.

In some embodiments, the first near field communications transceiver isincorporated into a frame or footboard of the patient support apparatuswhile the second near field communications transceiver is incorporatedinto a mattress supportable on the frame. Both the mattress and theframe or footboard further include far field communication transceiversthat enable higher speed communications to take place between the two.In some embodiments, the mattress further includes an inductive powercoil positioned at a location thereon to align with another inductivepower coil on the frame whereby the inductive power coil on the frame isadapted to inductively transfer electrical power to the mattress. Insuch embodiments, the mattress is controllable and powerable without anyelectrical wires connecting it to the frame, the footboard, a pendant,or any other structures.

In any one of the embodiments in which an association is establishedbetween the patient support apparatus and another device, the supportapparatus and device may subsequently communicate intermittently orperiodically to reconfirm the association. If such subsequentcommunications are unsuccessfully completed, the association isdiscontinued, or a warning is issued indicating the unsuccessfulcommunications.

A control panel is included on the patient support apparatus that, insome embodiments, is in wired communication with a first near fieldcommunications transceiver. An actuator is also included on the patientsupport apparatus that is in wired communication with a second nearfield communications transceiver. In such embodiments, the first nearfield communication transceiver is adapted to transmit a command to thesecond near field communication transceiver based upon manipulation ofthe control panel, and the second near field communication transceiveris adapted to forward information related to the command to the actuatorwhereby the actuator is controllable via the control panel without anywired connection between the control panel and the actuator. The controlpanel may be removable from said patient support apparatus in someembodiments. In other embodiments, the control panel is incorporatedinto a footboard or into a pendant. In other embodiments, the controlpanel is positioned at the front end of the patient support apparatus,and the patient support apparatus is a cot. The actuator may be adaptedto change a height of the patient support deck, or to control a brakefor at least one wheel of the patient support apparatus, or to lock andunlock at least one swivel caster wheel on the patient supportapparatus.

According to yet another embodiment, a patient support apparatus isprovided that includes a base, a frame supported on the base, a patientsupport deck adapted to support a patient thereon, first and secondtransceivers, and a controller. The first transceiver communicates witha device using a first communication protocol having a first datatransfer rate, and the second transceiver communicates with the deviceusing a second communication protocol having a second data transfer ratethat is higher than the first data transfer rate. The controllercontrols the first and second transceivers such that the patient supportapparatus communicates with the device using both the first and secondcommunication protocols.

According to further aspects, the controller communicates with thedevice initially using the first communication protocol. The controllerrepetitively communicates with the device using the first communicationprotocol to verify the continued nearby physical presence of the device.The controller stops communicating with the device using the secondcommunication protocol if the patient support apparatus is no longerable to communicate with the device using the first communicationprotocol. The second communications protocol is Bluetooth or Zigbee. Thefirst communication protocol follows standard ISO/IEC 18092. The patientsupport apparatus is a bed, stretcher, or cot.

Before the various embodiments of the invention are explained in detail,it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the detailsof operation or to the details of construction and the arrangement ofthe components set forth in the following description or illustrated inthe drawings. The invention may be implemented in various otherembodiments and is capable of being practiced or being carried out inalternative ways not expressly disclosed herein. Also, it is to beunderstood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for thepurpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The useof “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant toencompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well asadditional items and equivalents thereof. Further, enumeration may beused in the description of various embodiments. Unless otherwiseexpressly stated, the use of enumeration should not be construed aslimiting the invention to any specific order or number of components.Nor should the use of enumeration be construed as excluding from thescope of the invention any additional steps or components that might becombined with or into the enumerated steps or components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is side elevation view of a patient support apparatus accordingto a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of a patient support apparatus accordingto a second embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a plan view diagram of a patient support apparatus andportable computer according to a third embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a plan view diagram of a patient support apparatus accordingto a fourth embodiment shown communicating with a device spaced from thepatient support apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a plan view diagram of the patient support apparatus of FIG. 5shown communicating with a chair or recliner, as well as a medicaldevice;

FIG. 6 is a plan view diagram of a patient support apparatus accordingto a fifth embodiment that may communicate with a device, as well aswith a healthcare computer network;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a patient support apparatus according toa sixth embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a plan view block diagram of the communications and controlaspects of the patient support apparatus of FIG. 8;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a patient support apparatus according toa seventh embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a side elevation view diagram of the communications andcontrol aspects of the patient support apparatus of FIG. 10;

FIG. 11 is a side elevation view diagram of the communications andcontrol aspects of another, alternative embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a diagram of a pair of near field communication coils and apair of flux concentrators positioned adjacent respective ones of thecoils;

FIG. 13 is a diagram of three near field communications coils and a pairof flux concentrators that may be used in a switching manner toselectively allow and disallow communication between one or more of thecoils;

FIG. 14 is a diagram of a pair of near field communication coils and amagnetic flux concentrator whose angular orientation with respect to oneof the coils may be changed;

FIG. 15 is a diagram of a pair of near field communication coils and apair of magnetic flux concentrators having a gap therebetween that maybe changed;

FIG. 16 is a diagram of a pair of near field communication coils and apair of magnetic flux concentrators that translate with respect to eachother in parallel planes;

FIG. 17 is a diagram of a pair of perpendicularly oriented near fieldcommunication coils and a magnetic flux concentrator that is used toallow communication between the two coils while they are perpendicularlyoriented;

FIG. 18 is a plan view diagram of a patient support apparatus and devicesimilar to that shown in FIG. 5 but with a plurality of magnetic fluxconcentrators added;

FIG. 19 is a plan view diagram of a patient support apparatusillustrating an arbitrary and configurable range for near fieldcommunication;

FIG. 20 is a plan view diagram of a patient support apparatus and deviceaccording to yet another embodiment;

FIG. 21 is a flow chart of an illustrative communication algorithm thatmay be used with any of the patient support apparatuses disclosedherein; and

FIG. 22 is a flow chart of an illustrative control algorithm that may beused with any of the patient support apparatuses disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

A patient support apparatus 20 according to a first embodiment is shownin FIG. 1. In this embodiment, patient support apparatus is a bedintended for use in a healthcare facility, such as a hospital or thelike. In other embodiments, patient support apparatus 20 may be a cot, astretcher, a chair, a recliner, an operating table, or other structurethat is used to support a patient in a healthcare setting.

In general, patient support apparatus 20 includes a base 22 having aplurality of wheels 24, a pair of elevation adjustment mechanisms 26supported on said base, a frame or litter 28 supported on said elevationadjustment mechanisms, and a patient support deck 30 supported on saidframe. Patient support apparatus 20, in some embodiments, also includesa headboard 32 and a footboard 34. Either or both of headboard 32 andfootboard 34 are removable from frame 28 and may include one or moreelectrical connectors for establishing electrical communication betweenelectronic components on or in footboard 34 and/or headboard 32 andother electronic components support on or in frame 28. Such electricalconnector(s) may include any one or more of the connectors disclosed incommonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 61/692,256, filedAug. 23, 2012, by applicants Krishna Bhimavarapu et al. and entitledPATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS CONNECTORS, the complete disclosure of whichis incorporated herein by reference. Other types of connectors may alsobe used.

Elevation adjustment mechanisms 26 are adapted to raise and lower frame28 with respect to base 22. Elevation adjustment mechanisms 26 may beimplemented as hydraulic actuators, electric actuators, or any othersuitable device for raising and lowering frame 28 with respect to base22. In some embodiments, elevation adjustment mechanisms 26 are operableindependently so that the orientation of frame 28 with respect to base22 may also be adjusted.

Frame 28 provides a structure for supporting patient support deck 30,headboard 32, and footboard 34. Patient support deck 30 is adapted toprovide a surface on which a mattress 36, or other soft cushion, ispositionable so that a patient may lie and/or sit thereon. Patientsupport deck 30 is made of a plurality of sections, some of which arepivotable about generally horizontal pivot axes. In the embodiment shownin FIG. 1, patient support deck 30 includes a head section 38, a seatsection 40, a thigh section 42, and a foot section 44. In otherembodiments, patient support deck 30 may include fewer or greaternumbers of sections. Head section 38, which is also sometimes referredto as a Fowler section, is pivotable between a generally horizontalorientation (shown in FIG. 1) and a plurality of raised positions (notshown in FIG. 1). Thigh section 42 and foot section 44 may also bepivotable about horizontal pivot axes.

A plurality of side rails 45 (FIGS. 7 and 9) may also be coupled toframe 28. If patient support apparatus 20 is a bed, there will often befour such side rails, one positioned at a left head end of frame 28, asecond positioned at a left foot end of frame 28, a third positioned ata right head end of frame 28, and a fourth positioned at a right footend of frame 28. If patient support apparatus 20 is a stretcher or a cot(an example of a cot being shown in FIGS. 8 and 10), there will often befewer side rails. In other embodiments, there may be no side rails onpatient support apparatus 20. Regardless of the number of side rails,such side rails are movable between a raised position in which theyblock ingress and egress into and out of patient support apparatus 20,and a lowered position in which they are not an obstacle to such ingressand egress.

The general construction of any of base 22, elevation adjustmentmechanisms 26, frame 28, patient support deck 30, headboard 32, and/orfootboard 34 may take on any known or conventional design, such as, forexample, that disclosed in commonly assigned, U.S. Pat. No. 7,690,059issued to Lemire et al., and entitled HOSPITAL BED, the completedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference; or thatdisclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. publication No. 2007/0163045filed by Becker et al. and entitled PATIENT HANDLING DEVICE INCLUDINGLOCAL STATUS INDICATION, ONE-TOUCH FOWLER ANGLE ADJUSTMENT, AND POWER-ONALARM CONFIGURATION, the complete disclosure of which is also herebyincorporated herein by reference. The construction of any of base 22,elevation adjustment mechanisms 26, frame 28, patient support deck 30,headboard 32, footboard 34 and/or the side rails may also take on formsdifferent from what is disclosed in the aforementioned patent and patentpublication.

In some embodiments, mattress 36 is an inflatable mattress that includesone or more air bladders that are selectively inflatable to differentlevels of inflation. One such powered mattress is disclosed incommonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/022,326 filed Feb.7, 2011 by applicants Lafleche et al. and entitled PATIENT/INVALIDHANDLING SUPPORT, the complete disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference. In other embodiments, the powered mattress is thesame or similar to those disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. pat.application Ser. No. 61/696,819 filed Sep. 5, 2012 by applicants PatrickLafleche et al. and entitled INFLATABLE MATTRESS AND CONTROL METHODS,and/or commonly assigned U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 61/697,010 filedSep. 5, 2012 by applicants Patrick Lafleche et el. and entitled PATIENTSUPPORT, the complete disclosures of both of which are also herebyincorporated herein by reference.

Other types of powered mattresses are also usable with patient supportapparatus 20. Regardless of the specific type of mattress used withpatient support apparatus 20, it is desirable is some embodiments to beable to control the mattress 36 through a user interface 46 that ispositioned on footboard 34. Further, in order to avoid the labor ofconnecting a physical wire, cable, or other structure between userinterface 46 and mattress 36, patient support apparatus 20 is configuredto enable wireless communication between footboard 34 (more specificallyuser interface 46) and mattress 36. This wireless communication will bedescribed in greater detail below.

Before turning to the wireless communication between mattress 36 anduser interface 46, it should be pointed out that, in some embodiments,mattress 36 can be configured to also receive electrical powerwirelessly from frame 28. Such wireless power transfer can be carriedout through inductive coupling between mattress 36 and frame 28, or byother means. By delivering electrical power wirelessly to mattress 36,as well as by controlling mattress 36 wirelessly, it is possible toavoid having to make any wire, cable, or other physical connectionsbetween mattress 36 and any of the components patient support apparatus20 (e.g. frame 28, footboard 34, or other components). This eliminatesthe possibility of wire or cable damage that would otherwise exist dueto a person inadvertently trying to separate the mattress 36 from therest of patient support apparatus 20 without remembering to firstdisconnect such a wire or cable connection. The wireless supply ofelectrical power to mattress 36 from frame 28 may be carried out in avariety of manners, including, but not limited to, those disclosed incommonly assigned, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/296,656 filedNov. 15, 2011 by applicants Lemire et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORTWITH WIRELESS DATA AND/OR ENERGY TRANSFER, the complete disclosure ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference. In other embodiments,footboard 34 wirelessly communicates with mattress 36 while electricalpower is delivered to mattress 36 via a wired connection.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, mattress 36 and footboard 34communicate with each other wirelessly using two different wirelesscommunication protocols: a far field communications protocol and a nearfield communications protocol. The terms “near field” and “far field”are terms commonly understood in the field of electrical engineering andphysics. Generally speaking, far field communication refers tocommunication that takes place using electromagnetic waves wherein theelectromagnetic fields are dominated by electric and magnetic fieldsproduced from the changes in each other (i.e. the electric fieldgenerated by a changing magnetic field, and vice versa), while nearfield communication refers to communication that takes place where theelectromagnetic fields are dominated by electric and magnetic fieldsproduced by charge-separations and electrical current, respectively. Thenear field electromagnetic components tend to decay in amplitude thefarther the distance from the source in a manner that is much fasterthan the decay for the far field components. The far fieldcommunications protocol may be any conventional far field communicationprotocol.

The particular near field communications protocol used by patientsupport apparatus 20 varies in different embodiments. In one embodiment,the near field communications protocol follows the standard 18092 of theInternational Organization for Standards (ISO) and InternationalElectrotechnical Commission (IEC), also known as ISO/IEC 18092. Otherstandards that may be used include anything based on existingradio-frequency identification (RFID) standards, such as ISO/IEC 14443.In still other embodiments, any protocols that use, or are based on, anyof the near field communication standards promulgated by the NFC Forum,a non-profit organization that promotes the use of wireless interactionin consumer electronic devices and which has a place of business inWakefield, Mass., can be used. In still other embodiments, stilldifferent near field communication protocols are used.

The particular far field communications protocols used by patientsupport apparatus 20 also vary from one embodiment to another. Indeed,in some embodiments, multiple different types of far field communicationtransceivers are used on the same patient support apparatus. Such farfield communication protocols include, but are not limited to, any oneor more of the following: WiFi or IEEE 802.11, ZigBee or anycommunications based on the IEEE 802 standards, Bluetooth, and any othernarrowband or ultra-wideband protocols.

Mattress 36 of patient support apparatus 20 (FIG. 1) includes a nearfield communications transceiver 48 that uses any one or more of thenear field communication protocols listed above. Mattress 36 furtherincludes a far field communications transceiver 50 that uses any of thefar field communication protocols listed above. While FIG. 1 illustratesboth near field and far field transceivers 48 and 50 as being locatedoutside of mattress 36, it will be understood by those skilled in theart that this is merely for purposes of illustration. In actuality, bothtransceivers 48 and 50 will be positioned either inside the interior ofmattress 36 where they will be invisible to a user of mattress 36, orthey will be positioned along an edge—or otherwise coupled to mattress36—at a location that will not interfere with a patient's use ofmattress 36.

While any suitable location inside of, or adjacent to, mattress 36 maybe selected for far field transceiver 50, near field transceiver 48should be positioned at a location that is sufficiently near to the oneor more near field transceivers it will be in communication with. In theembodiment of FIG. 1, near field transceiver 48 of mattress 36 isintended to communicate with a near field transceiver 48 positionedinside of, or adjacent to, footboard 34. Accordingly, near fieldtransceiver 48 of mattress 36 should be positioned close enough tofootboard 34 such that near field communications will be able to takeplace between the two transceivers 48. For purposes of a more cleardescription, the near field transceiver of mattress 36 will be referredto as near field transceiver 48 a, while the near field transceiver offootboard 34 will be referred to herein as near field transceiver 48 b.

Mattress 36 and footboard 34 each include a coil antenna 52 a and 52 b,respectively, that is in electrical communication with their respectivetransceivers 48 a and 48 b. That is, each transceiver 48 a and 48 bcontrols the voltage and/or current that is applied to their respectivecoil antenna 52 a, 52 b when transmitting, and detects the inducedcurrent and/or voltage that is generated from the near field radiationof the other coil antenna 52 a, 52 b. In this manner, bidirectional nearfield communication is able to take place between coils 52 a and 52 b.

A communications controller 54 a is included within mattress 36 andincludes a near field communications module 56 a, a processing unit 58a, and a far field communications module 60 a. Controller 54 a overseesand coordinates both the near field and far field communications ofmattress 36, as will be described in greater detail below. Far fieldcommunications module 60 a is in electrical communication with far fieldtransceiver 50 a, which, in turn, is in electrical communication with afar field antenna 62 a. In response to the electrical signals receivedfrom far field RF transceiver 50 a, far field antenna 62 a generates farfield radio frequency electromagnetic waves that are transmitted to anyone or more other far field antennas within range antenna of 62 a. Inthe example of FIG. 1, the RF waves of antenna 62 a are picked up by farfield antenna 62 b of footboard 34, although, as described in moredetail below, such RF waves may be transmitted to other far fieldantennas. Antenna 62 a is also adapted to receive far field RF wavesfrom other antennas, such as, but not limited to, those transmitted fromantenna 62 b.

Footboard 34 includes corresponding electronics that are the same as, orsimilar to, those described above with respect to mattress 36. That is,footboard 34 includes a communications controller 54 b having aprocessing unit 58 b, a near field communications module 56 b, and a farfield communications module 60 b. Processing unit 58 b is incommunication with both near field communications module 56 b and farfield communications module 60 b. Near field communications module 56 bis in electrical communication with near field transceiver 48 b which,as noted, communicates with coil antenna 52 b. Far field communicationsmodule 60 b is in electrical communication with far field transceiver 50b, which controls the voltage and/or current applied to far fieldantenna 62 b when information is being transmitted off of footboard 34,and which detects the voltage and/or current received by far fieldantenna 62 b when information is being received from other far fieldantennas.

Processing units 58 a and 58 b, as well as transceivers 48 a, 48 b andcommunication modules 56 a, 56 b, 60 a, 60 b, are constructed of anyelectrical component, or group of electrical components, that arecapable of carrying out the algorithms described herein. In manyembodiments, processing units 58 a, 58 b, communications modules 56 a,56 b, 60 a, and 60 b, and transceivers 48 a, 48 b, will bemicroprocessor based, although not all such embodiments need include amicroprocessor. In general, processing units 58 a, 58 b, communicationsmodules 56 a, 56 b, 60 a, and 60 b, and transceivers 48 a, 48 b willinclude any one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, fieldprogrammable gate arrays, systems on a chip, volatile or nonvolatilememory, discrete circuitry, and/or other hardware, software, or firmwarethat is capable of carrying out the functions described herein, as wouldbe known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Such components can bephysically configured in any suitable manner, such as by mounting themto one or more circuit boards, or arranging them in other manners,whether combined into a single unit or distributed across multipleunits.

Further, any of the other controllers 54 or transceivers 48, 50described below may include the same components and/or be configured inthe same manner. Further, any of controllers 54 or transceivers 48, 50may be part of a multi-node controller, either as a single node, aportion of a node, or as a collection of multiple nodes. Thus, the term“controller” is used broadly to include not only single processingentities, but also groups of processing entities that are distributedover an internal network, such as a CAN, LonWorks, LIN, or other type ofnetwork. The term “controller” therefore refers to either a processingentity that is contained to a unitary location, or a processing entitythat is distributed over multiple physical locations.

Each processing unit 58 a and 58 b determines whether to communicateinformation at any given time using near field communications or farfield communications, or both. If information is to be communicatedusing near field communications, the processing unit 58 forwards theinformation to be transmitted to the respective near fieldcommunications module 56. If information is to be communicated using farfield communications, the processing unit 58 forwards the information tobe transmitted to far field communications module 60. The respectivemodules 56 and 60 then convert the information from processing unit 58into the desired format and/or protocol which has been selected for nearfield and far field communication. Modules 56 and 60 control theoperation of their respective transceivers 48 and 50, which, inconjunction with the associated antennas, enable the communication totake place.

In addition to overseeing communication and determining which one, orboth, of near field and far field communication options to use at agiven moment, processing units 58 a and 58 b will also, in someembodiments, oversee one or more of the operations of mattress 36 orfootboard 34, respectively. Thus, for example, processing unit 58 a ofmattress 36 can control one or more aspects of the operation of mattress36, such as the inflation or deflation of one or more bladders insidemattress 36, the monitoring of any one or more pressure sensors or othersensors inside of mattress 36, and/or the implementation of any one ormore control algorithms used inside mattress 36. Similarly, processingunit 58 b of footboard 34 can, in some embodiments, control one or moreaspects of footboard 34, such as overseeing or controlling a userinterface 46 that is positioned on footboard 34. User interface 46includes any combination of buttons, switches, touch screens, lights,indicators, or other similar structures that enable a user to controlvarious operations of patient support apparatus. By way ofnon-exhaustive examples, user interface 46 may include buttons,switches, or a touch screen that allow a user to raise and lower frame28, pivot one or more of sections deck 30, control a bed exit system,weigh a patient positioned on deck 30, or perform still other functions.Processing unit 58 b may carry out the control of any one or more ofthese functions, or it may be dedicated to controlling the near fieldand far field communication of footboard 34.

Controllers 54 a and 54 b are adapted to establish an association witheach other that is, in one set of embodiments, based upon the ability ofnear field communication transceivers 48 a and 48 b to communicate witheach other. By establishing this association, mattress 36 will know thatit should communicate with the specific footboard 34 that is attached tothe same patient support apparatus 20 upon which mattress 36 rests.Similarly, by knowing this association, footboard 34 will know that itshould communicate with the mattress 36 supported on the supportapparatus 20 to which footboard 34 is mounted. Were such associationsnot established, it would be theoretically possible for a second patientsupport apparatus positioned nearby to patient support apparatus 20 tointerfere with the communications between mattress 36 and footboard 34.When such a nearby patient support apparatus included its own mattressand footboard, those components could mistakenly intercept and/orrespond to messages from the other patient support apparatus that werenot intended for it. In other words, because footboard 34 and mattress36 are not in wired communication with each other, footboard 34 cannotbe certain its wireless messages are being processed by the mattress 36positioned on the same patient support apparatus 20 (as opposed toanother mattress on a different patient support apparatus positionednearby support apparatus 20), and vice versa, until an association ismade between the footboard 34 and the mattress 36 that are on the samepatient support apparatus 20.

Consequently, once patient support apparatus 20 has associated itselfwith the particular mattress 36 positioned thereon, far fieldcommunication between the two includes appropriate identifiers of eachother so that far field communication between other devices (e.g.another patient support apparatus and its mattress that are positionedwithin the same room) will not be misinterpreted by patient supportapparatus 20, or its associated mattress 36, as being intended forpatient support apparatus 20, or its associated mattress 36. In otherwords, far field messages received from a non-associated device areignored. Further, because most far field communication protocols, suchas Bluetooth, WiFi, or the like, use spread spectrum frequency hopping,or other means for ensuring a lack of interference between nearbydevices using the same communication protocol, patient support apparatus20 will be able to communicate without interference via far fieldcommunications with its associated mattress simultaneously with farfield communication that is taking place between a nearby second patientsupport apparatus and its associated mattress. Thus, for example, ahospital room can simultaneously have both a first patient supportapparatus 20 wirelessly communicating with its associated mattress usingfar field communication and a second patient support apparatus 20wirelessly communicating with its associated mattress using far fieldcommunication, and the messages between one patient supportapparatus-mattress pairing will not be used by the other patient supportapparatus-mattress pairing, nor will the messages electromagneticallyinterfere with each other.

Either or both of controllers 54 a and 54 b are adapted to automaticallyestablish the association between mattress 36 and footboard 34 usingnear field communication transceivers 48 a and 48 b. Because near fieldcommunication has a limited range, either or both of these transceiverscan initiate a communication that will only be detectable within arelatively small distance. In some instances, the small distance is onthe order of 5-10 centimeters, although, as will be discussed in greaterdetail below, this range may be extendable in some situations—where anextended range is desirable—through the use of one or more fluxconcentrators, increased power, or through other techniques. In someembodiments, by positioning coils 52 a and 52 b at suitable locations onpatient support apparatus 20, and by the appropriate control of thepower applied to each of these coils, patient support apparatus 20 isdesigned so that if near field antenna 52 a of mattress 36 transmits anear field message, only near field antenna 52 b of footboard 34 will bein close enough range to detect and respond to the message. Similarly,in such embodiments, the choice of location and power control can beused to ensure that if near field antenna 52 b of footboard 34 transmitsa near field message, only near field antenna 52 a of mattress 36 willbe close enough to detect and respond to the message. Such design can beimplemented even where another patient support apparatus is positionedwith its footboard adjacent to footboard 34. In still other embodiments,it might be possible for a footboard 34 or mattress 36 to transmit amessage using near field communication that is received by another coilpositioned somewhere off of patient support apparatus 20 (e.g. byanother support apparatus). In such cases, support apparatuses 20 caninclude additional features to ensure communication takes place amongonly the intended entities, such as, but not limited to, the use ofunique identifiers, as will be discussed below.

In one sense, the limited range of near field communications enablescontrollers 54 a and 54 b to use physical distance as a proxy forassociation. That is, controllers 54 a and 54 b are able to safelyconclude that they are associated with each other because it is veryunlikely that any other near field transceivers that were intended to beassociated together could be positioned within a sufficiently closevicinity to receive and/or send near field transmissions.

Both the near field and far field communication between mattress 36 andfootboard 34 include messages containing information, or data fields,that uniquely identify the transmitter of the message. In oneembodiment, the unique identification is a code that genericallyidentifies the transmitter as either a mattress or a footboard, while inother embodiments it is a code that uniquely distinguishes theparticular mattress 36 or footboard 34 from other mattresses 36 orfootboards 34 equipped with near field communication abilities. Amongother advantages to transmitting this unique identification information,controller 54 a and 54 b is able to ensure that they are notcommunicating with the wrong kind of object. In other words, ifcontroller 54 a of mattress 36 receives a message that includes anidentifier which indicates the source of the message as something otherthan a footboard, then, in at least some embodiments, mattress 36 canignore the message because it has been configured to only respond tocontrols from a footboard, rather than other objects that might bepositioned within a near field vicinity of it.

Each controller 54 includes, or has access to, a list in memory thatcorrelates the identification code of the message sender to a type ofobject (i.e. a list that identifies the codes as corresponding to amattress, a footboard, or something else). The controller 54 is therebyable to determine whether the sender of any given message was amattress, a footboard, or something else.

In order for controllers 54 a and 54 b to become associated with eachother (e.g. to both know that they are on the same patient supportapparatus 20), one of them sends an initial message. This initialmessage is picked up by any near field communication transceiver that iswithin a near field vicinity of the transmitting transceiver. As wasnoted above, support apparatus 20 is designed so that it will typicallynot be possible for another near field transceiver to be sufficientlyclose to receive this message, other than the intended recipient. Aswill be discussed in greater detail below, the prevention of near fieldcommunication with transceivers that are not on patient supportapparatus can be implemented by, in addition to controlling power andlocation, the use of one or more flux concentrators that are positionedadjacent the transceiver 48 and which shield transmissions in one ormore specific directions. By placing these flux concentrators atsuitable locations, near field transmissions from unintended directionsare reduced or eliminated. Such flux concentrators block thesetransmissions by using pairs of flux concentrators that are positionedat specific distances apart, or that are arranged at specific angles, orthat are turned off, as will be discussed in greater detail below.

Once the initial message is transmitted by one of transceivers 48 a or48 b, the other responds to the message with its identification, as wellas any other useful information. If, for some reason, multiple responsesare received from multiple transceivers due to there being multiple nearfield transceivers in proximity and the shielding is either lacking orinsufficient, then the transceiver sending the initial message willdetermine the identity of the multiple responding devices and use thatinformation, if possible, to determine which device it should becommunicating with. For example, if a footboard controller 54 b gets aresponse from another footboard controller positioned nearby, it willdisregard that footboard because, in the example of FIG. 1, it isintended to talk to a mattress 36, not another footboard. If it is notpossible to determine which device is the proper device forcommunication by this method, the transceiver 48 that transmitted theinitial message will retransmit the initial message at a lower power,and therefore a smaller range. If multiple devices respond still, itwill retransmit yet again at yet a lower power. This reduction in powerof the initial transmission will continue until only one deviceresponds. The last device that responds will therefore be presumed to bethe closest device, and the controller will associate itself with thatdevice.

Once the controller 54 that sent the initial message has associateditself with another controller for communication, subsequentcommunications will includes messages that identify the intendedrecipient and the transmitter. In this manner, any other near fielddevice that may be in the vicinity will, if they happen to intercept themessage, be able to determine that the message was not intended forthem, and therefore ignore. Only the device that is the intendedrecipient of the message will respond to it.

Once a controller 54 has established near field communication withanother controller 54, both controllers will continue to periodically orcontinuously communicate via near field communications with each otherto repetitively verify that the association between the controllers 54is still valid. However, in many situations, the data rates of the nearfield communications protocols are much smaller than those that areavailable for far field communications. Consequently, in manyembodiments, once two devices have become associated with each other vianear field communication, their respective controllers 54 will alsobegin to use far field communication (at least for transferring largeamounts of data). The far field communication will enable them totransfer data at faster rates than if there were to continue to only usenear field communication. The far field communication messages alsoinclude an identification of the intended recipient of each message sothat, in the event another device receives the message (which is morelikely, given the greater range of far field communications as comparedto near field communications), the other device can determine it was notthe intended recipient and ignore the message. All far fieldcommunication messages will include identifiers so that only theintended recipient of the message will act upon the message. As notedabove, controllers 54 a and 54 b will be able to talk to each otherexclusively, despite the possibility that other far field communicationsdevices may be in range and may “hear” the messages therebetween.

In the embodiment show in FIG. 1, controller 54 b sends wirelesscommands to controller 54 a using far field communication after the twocontrollers have been associated. Similarly, controller 54 a sendmessages back to controller 54 b. Such return messages include statusmessages, or other information. Controller 54 b is in communication withuser interface 46 of footboard 34 and sends the appropriate commands tomattress 36 based on a user's manipulation of user interface 46. In thismanner, controller 54 b of footboard 34 is able to wirelessly controlmattress 36 using far field communication based upon the instructionsinput into user interface 46 by a user. A caregiver can thus controlmattress 36 via user interface 46 without having to connect any cords,cables, or wires to either footboard 34, or any other physical structureon patient support apparatus 20. Depending upon the specific content ofthe commands sent to mattress 36, mattress 36 will respond (viacontroller 54 a) with status information or other information that, insome instances, is displayed on user interface.

While the particular messages between controller 54 a and 54 b will varyfrom one embodiment of patient support apparatus 20 to the next, and oneembodiment of mattress 36 to the next, such messages will typicallyinclude commands sent from the footboard controller 54 b to the mattresscontroller 54 a to inflate or deflate one or more bladders withinmattress 36, begin or end a treatment therapy instituted using mattress36 (e.g. percussion therapy), turn a patient positioned on mattress 36,or perform other actions. Mattress controller 54 a will typicallyforward status messages and responses to the commands it receives fromfootboard controller 54 b.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates the example of footboard 34 wirelesslycontrolling mattress 36, it will be understood by those skilled in theart that the same principles described above can be used to enablefootboard 34 to control other aspects of patient support apparatus 20.For example, footboard 34 could be used to control, or otherwisecommunicate with, one or more sensors that are positioned on patientsupport apparatus 20. One such sensor may be a patient pressure sensingsystem, such as the pressure sensing mat 34 described in commonlyassigned, PCT patent application Ser. No. PCT/US12/27402 filed Mar. 2,2012 by applicants Richard Derenne et al., and entitled SENSING SYSTEMFOR PATIENT SUPPORTS, the complete disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference. Alternatively, footboard 34 can be used towirelessly control both a mattress, such as mattress 36, and anotherdevice, such as a patient pressure sensing mat, or still another deviceor devices.

In one embodiment, footboard controller 54 b controls both a mattress 36and a pressure sensing mat, such as the mat 34 described in the PCTapplication mentioned above. In this embodiment, only the mattress 36includes a near field and far field transceiver. The pressure sensingmat is plugged into the mattress and uses the mattress's near fieldand/or far field transceivers as conduits for communication withfootboard controller 54 b. In other words, the pressure sensing mat doesnot communicate directly with footboard controller 54 b, but ratherroutes and receives messages through the transceivers of mattress 36.

In yet another embodiment, footboard controller 54 b wirelessly controlsboth mattress 36 and the pressure sensing mat by communicatingwirelessly with each of them directly. That is, both mattress 36 and thepressure sensing mat include near field and far field transceivers thatestablish communication with the near field and far field transceivers48 b and 50 b, respectively, contained within footboard 34.Communications controller 54 b of footboard 34 uses near fieldtransceiver 48 b to establish that the mattress 36 and pressure sensingmat are physically adjacent to footboard 34, and then uses far fieldtransceiver 50 b to communicate independently with the far fieldtransceiver 50 a in mattress 36 and the far field transceiver within thepressure sensing mat (not shown).

FIG. 21 illustrates an illustrative communication algorithm 131 that isfollowed by controller 54 b when communicating with controller 54 a ofmattress 36, or when communicating with any of the other controllers 54disclosed herein. Indeed, communication algorithm 131 is usable by anyof the controllers 54 disclosed herein, not just controller 54 b.Communication algorithm 131 starts at step 133 where controller 54broadcasts a near field message. At step 135, controller 54 monitors itsassociated antenna for any near field responses to the message itbroadcast at step 133. If no responses are received, then controlreturns to step 133, where another near field message is broadcast. Ifcontroller 54 receives a valid response to its near field message atstep 135, it associates itself at step 137 with the respondent devicethat responded to the message broadcast at step 133 (more specifically,it associates the respondent and the patient support apparatus to whichcontroller 54 is coupled). After associating step 137 is complete,information is communicated between controller 54 and the respondentdevice via far field communication. The communicated information willvary from situation to situation, depending at least in part upon whattype of device the respondent is, and also the type of device to whichcontroller 54 is coupled. Either simultaneous with such far fieldcommunication, or intermittently between the far field messages,controller 54 re-verifies at step 141 that the respondent device and thepatient support apparatus are still within near field communicationsdistance of each other. This is accomplished by transmitting anothernear field message to the respondent and waiting for the appropriateresponse. If no response is received (or no responses are received aftermultiple tries), controller 54 moves to step 143. If a response isreceived, then controller 54 determines that the respondent device muststill be within near field communications range of the patient supportapparatus, and control returns to step 139, where far fieldcommunications are able to continue to take place. At step 143,controller 54 disassociates itself from the respondent device, andcontrol returns to step 133.

Communication algorithm 131 may also be modified in a number ofdifferent aspects. In one modified version, controller 54 b time stampsthe moment when the patient support apparatus becomes associated withthe respondent at step 137. This time stamping includes logging thespecific identify of the recipient which has been associated with thepatient support apparatus. Such identity includes not only informationidentifying the type of recipient (e.g. mattress, sensing mat, medicaldevice, furniture, etc.), but also information uniquely identifying thatparticular recipient, such as, for example, a serial number. In additionto recording this information, the same information is also stored atstep 143 when the patient support apparatus and the recipient aredisassociated from each other. This time stamped log of associations anddisassociations is recorded in memory on patient support apparatus andmade available for forwarding to any desirable application on ahealthcare network 74 (discussed in greater detail below). This storedassociation-disassociation data includes the times of association anddisassociation of the specific recipient, as well as informationidentifying the specific patient support apparatus (so that the data forany given patient support apparatus is distinguishable from the data foranother patient support apparatus). By saving this information andmaking it available to commercially available programs that are runningon the healthcare network 74, this information can be used for otherpurposes, such as, for example, infection control and/or billing.

For example, if a healthcare facility determines that a particularpatient has contracted a contagious infection, suitable software canquery the information gathered by the patient support apparatus to see alist of equipment that has been used with that particular patient. Thisenables the healthcare facility to know precisely what equipment mayneed to be disinfected. Further, as another example, by making thestored association and disassociation data available to third partysoftware applications, healthcare billing software can access thisinformation and use it for billing patients. That is, the healthcarefacility can charge the patient for the use of specific equipment, andthe stored association-disassociation data can be used to determine thespecific equipment that was used with a specific patient, as well as theamount of time it was used with that particular patient. The storedassociation-disassociation data may alternatively be used for otherpurposes.

FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of a patient support apparatus 120that includes a configuration of near field and far field communicationthat is different from that shown in FIG. 1. For purposes ofdescription, those components of patient support apparatus 120 that arecommon to patient support apparatus 20 will bear the same referencenumber. Those components that are similar but have changed in somerespect will bear the same number raised by one hundred. New componentswill bear a new reference number.

Patient support apparatus 120 includes a footboard 34 having a nearfield communication controller 54 b incorporated therein. It furtherincludes a near field transceiver 48 b and a far field transceiver 50 b,both of which are under the control of controller 54 b. Each transceiver48 b and 50 b further includes a corresponding antenna (not shown) thatenables it to communicate using the near field and far fieldcommunication protocols. While not shown, footboard 34 includes a userinterface that is either the same as, or a modified form of, the userinterface of patient support apparatus 20. The frame 28 of patientsupport apparatus 120 supports or includes a controller 54 c, a nearfield transceiver 48 c, and a far field transceiver 50 c. These itemsare positioned at any suitable location on frame 28, or any otherlocation on patient support apparatus 120 that is separate fromfootboard 34.

Controllers 54 b and 54 c establish an association with each other inthe same manner as controllers 54 a and 54 b of FIG. 1. That is, one ofthe near field transceivers 48 b or 48 c initially sends a near fieldcommunication to the other that includes the transmitter's identity. Therecipient responds with a message that includes the recipient'sidentity. Assuming no third or other near field transceivers aresufficiently close to one or both of these transceivers to respond tothese communications, the two transceivers 48 b and 48 c then associatethemselves with each other. If a third transceiver responds, then stepssuch as those described previously are taken to determine whichcontrollers 54 are to be associated with each other (e.g. reducing thepower of the transmissions, or using shielding, if available, etc.).Once an association is established, communications between footboard 34and controller 54 c of patient support apparatus 120 is able to takeplace via far field communications transceivers 50 b and 50 c, whichwill have a higher data rate than the near field communications.

By including the controllers 54 b and 54 c in footboard 34 and frame 28,as well as the associated transceivers, it is possible to have footboard34 control one or more aspects of the operation of patient supportapparatus 120 via wireless communications that emanate from footboard34. This eliminates the need for any wired connection between footboard34 and the rest of patient support apparatus 120. This further makes iteasier to attach and remove footboard 34 to and from frame 28 because nodata wires or electrical connectors need to be attached/detached oraligned with each other. Further, patient support apparatus 120, in someembodiments, includes an inductive power coil (not shown) that enableselectrical power to be transmitted wirelessly from frame 28 to footboard34 so that no power cables, wires, or connectors need to be established.The inductive power coil may be separate from the antenna coils oftransceivers 48 b and 50 b, or, in some embodiments, they may be thesame. That is, in some embodiments, the near field antenna coilscommunicate both data and electrical power.

Controller 54 c is either in direct communication with one or moreactuators on patient support apparatus 120, or is in communication withone or more separate controllers (not shown) that control suchactuators. Controller 54 c acts upon commands received wirelessly fromfootboard 34 to control one or more aspects of the operation of patientsupport apparatus 120. Thus, for example, a user is able to press one ormore buttons of footboard 34 to activate elevation adjustment mechanisms26 and thereby change the height of frame 28 relative to base 22.Controller 54 b forwards commands reflecting the pushed buttons tocontroller 54 c using far field communications. Controller 54 c thenforwards the appropriate commands to the elevation adjustment mechanisms25, or to one or more intermediary controllers that control theelevation adjustment mechanisms. The height of frame 28 is therebychanged. In addition to controlling elevation adjustment mechanisms 26,footboard 34 and its far field transceiver 50 can be used to control anydesired aspect of patient support apparatus 120, including, but notlimited to, the pivoting of any of the sections of patient support deck30, the setting or releasing of a brake, the control of a patient exitdetection system, the weighing of patient, the tilting of frame 28, thearming and disarming of a monitoring system, and still other tasks.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of a patient support apparatus 220. Forpurposes of description, those components of patient support apparatus220 that are common to patient support apparatus 20 will bear the samereference number. Those components that are similar but have changedwill bear the same number raised by two hundred. New components willbear a new reference number.

Patient support apparatus 220 includes a controller 54 d, a near fieldcommunications transceiver 48 d, a far field communications transceiver50 d, and at least one actuator 64. Patient support apparatus 220further includes a support or dock 66 for a portable computer 68. Dock66 includes any portion of patient support apparatus 220 that isphysically configured to support portable computer 68. Further, dock 66is located at any suitable location on patient support apparatus 220. Insome embodiments, dock 66 is built into footboard 34.

Portable computer 68 is any commercially available portable and generalpurpose computer, such as a laptop, notebook, or tablet computer (e.g.iPad, or the like) that has been modified, to the extent necessary, toinclude a near field communications transceiver 48 e and far fieldcommunications transceiver 50 e, as well as the necessary controls forcontrolling these two transceivers. Such portable computers typicallyoperate using the Microsoft Windows, Linux, or Apple OS operatingsystems, although computer using other operating system can be used. Insome embodiments, portable computer 68 is a smart phone, running any oneof the Android operating system, the Apple iOS operating system, Nokia'sSymbian, Research in Motion's BlackBerry OS, Samsung's Bada, Microsoft'sWindows Phones, Hewlett-Packard's webOS, or another smart phoneoperating system. In one embodiment, the far field communicationstransceiver 50 e is a WiFi or IEEE 802.11 transceiver that commonlycomes integrated within computer 68 by the commercial manufacturer ofcomputer 68. In such cases, far field transceiver 50 d is also a WiFi orIEEE 802.11 transceiver that is able to communicate with the far fieldtransceiver of computer 68. In another embodiment, the far fieldcommunications transceiver 50 e is a Bluetooth transceiver that oftencomes integrated within commercially available portable computers, andin such cases, far field transceiver 50 d is also a Bluetoothtransceiver able to communicate via Bluetooth with computer 68.

In other embodiments, computer 68 also commercially includes a nearfield transceiver, while in still other embodiments, a near fieldtransceiver must be added to computer 68 post-manufacturing. In oneembodiment, the controller for these transceivers (48 e and 50 e) is themain central processing unit that controls the operation of computer 68and is included in the manufacture of computer 68 (e.g. an Intel core orPentium processor, an Advanced Micro Devices Opteron processor, or otherprocessor). That is, a software application (or app for a smart phone)running on the portable computer 68 controls the communication ofcomputer 68 with patient support apparatus 220 that takes place viatransceivers 48 e and 50 e. In another embodiment, such control iscarried out in any one or more co-processors that are included duringthe manufacture of computer 68. In still other embodiments, one or moreseparate controllers are added post-manufacturing.

Patient support apparatus 220 is configured to allow portable computer68 to associate itself therewith, and to communicate information to andfrom computer 68. In some embodiments, this communication allows a userof computer 68 to wirelessly control one or more aspects of patientsupport apparatus 220. Indeed, in some embodiments, computer 68 isprogrammed to include a control panel image that is displayed on adisplay of computer 68 that mimics one or more of the control panels, oruser interface 46, that are integrated into patient support apparatus220. In this manner, a user of portable computer 68 can control any andall functions of patient support apparatus 220 without having toactually touch any portions of support apparatus 220, which is desirablein situations where infection control is a primary concern. Such controltakes place through computer mouse clicking, touching or swiping on atouch screen, or pressing one or more buttons on the keypad of computer68, or other methods.

Portable computer 68 and patient support apparatus 220 establish anassociation with each other in the same manner as has been describedabove with respect to controller 54 a of mattress 36 and controller 54 bof footboard 34. Computer 68 is programmed with an application thatbrings up a control panel image, or other means of controlling patientsupport apparatus 220, on its display to enable a user to controlpatient support apparatus 220 after the association between computer 68and patient support apparatus 220 (i.e. controller 54 d) has beenestablished. Because portable computer 68 is intended to be portable,and may be carried by personnel from one bed to another (and used tocontrol each bed it is carried to), computer 68 is programmed toperiodically re-verify, or continuously re-verify, its association witha given patient support apparatus 220 via near field communicationtransceiver 48 e. That is, portable computer 68 repetitively transmitsmessages via near field transceiver 48 e to patient support apparatus220 to repetitively verify that support apparatus 220 is in near fieldcommunication range of computer 68. So long as it remains within range,computer 68 is programmed to communicate with support apparatus 220 viafar field transceiver 50 e. If computer 68 moves out of range, thencomputer 68 will notify the user of computer 68 and cease controllingpatient support apparatus 220. If computer 68 is moved to a differentpatient support apparatus, it will establish an association therewithand allow wireless control of the new patient support apparatus in thesame manner as has been described. Thus, computer 68 will automaticallyestablish an association with whatever patient support apparatus ithappens to be within a near field vicinity of, thereby enabling a userto carry a single computer that can be used to communicate with all, ormultiples of, the patient support apparatuses the user visits on his orher rounds.

Similar, or the same, repetitive re-verification of the associationbetween portable computer 68 and controller 54 d of patient supportapparatus 220 is used in any of the embodiments discussed herein. Thatis, in one embodiment, controllers 54 a of mattress 36 and controller 54b of footboard 34, after associating with each other, repetitivelycontinue to send near field messages to each other to re-verify theirphysical proximity to each other, and thus their association. Similarly,controllers 54 b and 54 c may also do the same. Still further, any ofthe controllers discussed below may also repetitively re-verify the nearfield associations.

In addition to allowing portable computer 68 to control one or moreaspects of patient support apparatus 220, portable computer 68 andcontroller 54 d are programmed, in some embodiments, to allow other datato be transmitted between the two. This data includes, but is notlimited to, patient information, alerts, sensor readings, patientweight, patient care protocol information, and the like. Portablecomputer 68 is further programmed, in one embodiment, to display anindication that it has established an association with patient supportapparatus 220, including an indication of the specific apparatus 220 itis currently associated with. This allows a caregiver to visuallyconfirm that computer 68 has associated itself with the proper supportapparatus 220.

In one embodiment, portable computer 68 is the computer identified bythe reference number 210 in commonly assigned, U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 61/606,147, filed Mar. 2, 2012 by applicants Cory Herbst, etal., and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT, the complete disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of a patient support apparatus 320that incorporates near field and far field communication protocols. Forpurposes of description, those components of patient support apparatus320 that are common to any of the previously described patient supportapparatuses will bear the same reference number. Those components thatare similar but have changed will bear the same number raised by threehundred. New components will bear a new reference number.

Patient support apparatus 320 includes a controller 54 e that is inelectrical communication with a first near field transceiver 48 f and asecond near field transceiver 48 g. Controller 54 e is further inelectrical communication with a far field transceiver 50 f. While notseparately identified, transceivers 48 f, 48 g, and 50 f, include, orare in communication with, appropriate antennas for enabling near fieldand far field communication, respectively. First near field transceiver48 f is positioned adjacent a first side 70 a of patient supportapparatus 320, while second near field transceiver 48 g is positionedadjacent a second side 70 b that is opposite first side 70 a. Far fieldtransceiver 50 f is positioned anywhere on patient support apparatus 320that allows far field communications to take place with medical devices,such as a medical device 72, that may be positioned in the same room, orotherwise within far field communication range.

Near field transceivers 48 f and 48 g are positioned along sides 70 a,70 b of patient support apparatus 320 in order to be able to communicatewith one or more medical devices 72 that could be in use with respect toa patient positioned on support apparatus 320. Such apparatuses include,but are not limited to, ventilators, respirators, pumps, or the like.Regardless of the specific type of device, medical device 72 is anyconventional medical device that includes a near field transceiver 48 h,a far field transceiver 50 g, and a controller 54 f. Because suchmedical devices will typically be positioned adjacent patient supportapparatus 320 when used in the treatment of a patient positionedthereon, near field transceivers 48 f and 48 g are positioned along thesides 70 of support apparatus 320 so that they will likely be withinnear field communication range of the medical device(s) that are beingused to treat the patient supported on support apparatus 320. In someembodiments, medical device 72 is a microclimate management system thatis supported on the patient support apparatus 320 itself, such as themicroclimate management system disclosed in commonly assigned U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/899,059 filed Oct. 6, 2010 by applicantsMartin Stryker et al. and entitled MICROCLIMATE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, thecomplete disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.In such embodiments, the one or more near field transceivers 48 f and/or48 g are suitably positioned to communicate with one or more near fieldtransceivers that are incorporated into the microclimate managementsystem.

Controller 54 e sends out messages via both near field transceivers 48 fand 48 g that ask any medical devices 72 having near field transceiversto respond with their identity. Because of the very limited distance ofthis near field communication, any such medical devices 72 that dorespond will have to be within a close physical proximity to one or bothof transceivers 48 f or 48 g. Further, because of this close physicalproximity, controller 54 e will conclude that the responding medicaldevice is associated with patient support apparatus 320. That is,controller 54 e will conclude that the medical device 72 is being usedin the treatment of the specific patient who is assigned to patientsupport apparatus 320. Controller 54 e will therefore associate itself,and/or patient support apparatus 320, with the one or more respondingmedical devices 72.

In some embodiments, controller 54 e delays associating patient supportapparatus 320 with the responding medical device 72 until after multiplesuccessive messages have been exchanged via near field communicationbetween one or both transceivers 48 f, 48 g and the near fieldtransceiver 48 h of the medical device 72. By requiring multiplesuccessive communications, mistaken associations that might otherwiseoccur due to a transitory positioning of the medical device 72 next topatient support apparatus 320 are avoided. Further, controller 54 e, insome embodiments, does not associate the medical device 72 and patientsupport apparatus 320 with each other until the medical device 72 sendsinformation to controller 54 e—either via near field communication orfar field communication—indicating that it is in use. Therefore, ifmedical device 72 is merely passively positioned next to patient supportapparatus 320, controller 54 e will not associate the two.

Controller 54 e, in some embodiments, is also configured to send one ormore messages to the controller 54 f of medical device 72 indicatingthat it has concluded that the two structures (medical device 72 andpatient support apparatus 320) are associated. Further, the messagesfrom patient support apparatus 320 will provide one or more of thefollowing: an identity of patient support apparatus 320, an identity ofthe patient assigned to patient support apparatus 320, the currentlocation within the healthcare facility (e.g. room number and/or thespecific bay within a multi-patient room) of patient support apparatus320 and medical device 72, and/or any other information that controller54 e has access to that controller 54 f of medical device 72 may nototherwise have access to. Controller 54 f of medical device 72 then usesthis information to associate the medical data that it generates withthe specific patient assigned to patient support apparatus 320, or thespecific patient support apparatus 320 it is positioned next to, or thecurrent location of medical device 72. The specific medical datagenerated by medical device 72 will depend upon what type of medicaldevice that medical device 72 is. In many instances, the medical device72 will generate some data that is usefully forwarded to an electronicmedical system, or that is useful for a remotely positioned caregiver toknow about (such as, but not limited to, for example, alerts), or thatis otherwise desirably forwarded from medical device 72 to anotherlocation.

Once controller 54 f receives information from controller 54 e ofpatient support apparatus 320 indicating that the two are associated, orindicating the identity of the patient supported thereon, or indicatingthe location of patient support apparatus 320 (and thus the location ofmedical device 72 as well), controller 54 will be able to transmit thisinformation along with the medical data it generates to a remotelocation. For example, in one embodiment, controller 54 f uses far fieldtransceiver 50 g to transmit its medical data to a healthcare computernetwork 74 (an example of which is shown in FIG. 6), which is often anEthernet. Controller 54 f also transmits via far field transceiver 50 gthe association information, or patient ID information, or currentlocation information. One or more applications or servers on thisnetwork receive the medical data and the association, patient ID, orcurrent location information. If the application or server receivesassociation data or current location data, it used this data todetermine what specific patient the medical data corresponds to byconsulting one or more databases that correlate patient ID data toeither specific patient support apparatuses 320 or to current locations.Such databases will be electronically accessible via the healthcarecomputer network 74. In this way, the medical device data can be matchedto a specific patient. This automatic matching can reduce the laborburden on the caregivers who might otherwise have to manually enterinformation into a user interface on medical device 72 that identifiesthe specific patient being treated by medical device 72, or otherwisemanually enter information into a computer on network 74 that identifiesthe patient assigned to medical device 72.

In some embodiments, far field transceiver 50 is a WiFi transmitter thatcommunicates with a wireless access point of the healthcare network 74.In other embodiments, controller 54 g communicates with network 74 usinga different far field transceiver (not shown) than the far fieldtransceiver 50 g used to communicate with patient support apparatus 320.In still other embodiments, medical device 72 is configured to forwardits medical device information to patient support apparatus 320, whichthen relays the medical device information to network 74 using far fieldcommunications transceiver 50 f, or another far field communicationstransceiver. In such cases, the patient support apparatus 320 operatesas a conduit for forwarding information from medical device 72 tonetwork 74.

Medical device 72 and patient support apparatus 320 each include farfield transceivers 50 g and 50 f, respectively, that they use to sharedata with each other at a higher rate than what is possible using nearfield transceivers 48. Device 72 and apparatus 320 are capable of usingthis far field communication channel to communicate medical data ofdevice 72, or the patient ID, room location, or patient supportapparatus 320 ID with each other. Indeed, any information that isdesirably communicated between device 72 and apparatus 320 may be sharedusing the far field communication channel.

Once near field communications have been established between device 72and apparatus 320, such near field communications are continuously orperiodically updated to re-verity the association of the two structures,as has been described previously. If the near field communications isunable to take place, then patient support apparatus 320 will terminatethe association until the near field communications are re-established.

In one embodiment, patient support apparatus 320 will not automaticallyassociate apparatus 320 and device 72 after near field communicationsbetween the two are established. Instead, controller 54 e of supportapparatus 320 will provide an indication on a user interface 76 of atentative association between apparatus 320 and 72 and requestconfirmation from a caregiver. User interface 76 is positioned at anysuitable location on support apparatus 320, such as, but not limited to,on a footboard 34 of apparatus 320. User interface 76 may include aliquid crystal display, a touch screen, lights, or other structures forcommunicating information to a caregiver. The indication provided onuser interface 76 will include an identification of the medical device72 and a request for the caregiver to either confirm or cancel thetentative association. The confirmation may involve the simple pressingof a button, or an area on a touch screen. By requiring caregiverconfirmation before making associations, a double check is provided thathelps prevent any mistaken associations between device 72 and a nearby,but not associated, patient support apparatus 320.

While the example of support apparatus 320 shown in FIG. 4 illustratesonly a single medical device 72, it will be understood by those skilledin the art that support apparatus 320 is able to simultaneously, ornearly simultaneously, be in near field communication with multiplemedical devices 72. In such cases, controller 54 e makes multipleassociations between patient support apparatus 320 and the multiplemedical devices 72. Further, in some embodiments, controller 54 e isconfigured to act as a communication conduit between the medical devices72, sharing information received from one medical device 72 with anothermedical device 72, as appropriate.

FIG. 5 illustrates another patient support apparatus 420 thatincorporates both near field and far field communications. For purposesof description, those components of patient support apparatus 420 thatare common to any of the previously described patient supportapparatuses will bear the same reference number. Those components thatare similar but have changed will bear the same number raised by fourhundred. New components will bear a new reference number.

Patient support apparatus 420 includes a plurality of near fieldtransceivers 48 i, 48 j, at least one far field transceiver 50 h, acontroller 54 g, and a user interface 76 a, all of which are inelectrical communication with each other, either directly or indirectly.As with all of the other patient support apparatuses described herein,patient support apparatus 420 can also include any one or more of thestructures described above with respect to patient support apparatus 20(e.g. a base 22, wheels 24, elevation adjustment mechanisms 26, frame orlitter 28, support deck 30, headboard 32, footboard 34, mattress 36, andso on). Near field transceivers 48 i and 48 j are configured tocommunicate with other near field transceivers 48 that are positionedwithin a near field range thereof. Patient support apparatus 420 differsfrom patient support apparatus 320 in that controller 54 g has beenconfigured to be able to communicate not only with nearby medicaldevices 72, but also one or more pieces of furniture 78 that arepositioned nearby and that have near field communication abilities.Thus, patient support apparatus 420 is configured to communicate withthe nearby medical device 72 a in FIG. 5 in the same manner as has beendescribed above with respect to medical device 72 and support apparatus320 (FIG. 4.) Further, support apparatus 420 is configured to providethe same association, and do so in the same manners described above,with medical device 72 a as support apparatus 320 does with medicaldevice 72. Accordingly, further description of the communicationsbetween support apparatus 420 and device 72 a is not necessary.

The piece of furniture 78 in FIG. 5 is any of a variety of differenttypes of furniture that are usefully positioned within a nearby vicinityto a patient support apparatus. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5,furniture 78 is specifically a recliner chair. Furniture 78, however,may take on other forms. Furniture piece 78 includes a near fieldtransceiver 48 l, a far field transceiver 50 j, and a controller 54 h.Furniture piece 78 is configured, as well as controller 54 g, tocommunicate similar types of information with patient support apparatus420, and in a similar manner, as medical device 72. Furniture 78generates data from one or more sensors 79 that are included in thefurniture 78. In one embodiment, these sensors include a plurality ofload cells that detect whether a patient is present on the furniture.The load cells may also detect movement of the patient thereon,including movement that is suggestive of the patient preparing to exitthe furniture 78. In such cases, furniture 78 generates an exit, orpre-exit alert. Furniture 78 may also be configured to determine apatient's weight using sensors 79. Furniture 78 may gather still otherinformation as well.

Regardless of the specific information gathered by furniture 78,controller 54 h communicates via near field transceiver 48 l and farfield transceiver 50 j with patient support apparatus 420 in ananalogous manner to that described above with respect to patient supportapparatus 320 and medical device 72. That is, support apparatus 420 usesnear field transceivers 48 i or 48 j to establish, if possible, nearfield communication with near field transceiver 48 l of chair 78. Ifsuch communications are successful, controller 54 g associates supportapparatus 420 with chair 78. Data indicating this association is thenforwarded to chair 78 via near or far field communication, and/or it isforwarded to a healthcare computer network (e.g. network 74) via farfield transceiver 50 h, or by other means. Once the association occurs,controller 54 g is configured to also be able to send specific patientID, specific support apparatus ID, and/or current location informationto chair 78. Chair 78 may then use this data so that its own internallygenerated data (e.g. from sensors 79) can be correlated to a specificpatient, specific patient support apparatus, and/or a specific room orroom location. If chair 78 is equipped to communicate directly with ahealthcare computer network, this information will then be forwardedthereto, along with the sensor 79 information, so that one or moreservers or applications on the network can process the data in a waythat enables the data to be associated with a specific patient.Alternatively, chair 78 may forward all of the data it gathers tosupport apparatus 420 for forwarding to computer network 74.

By associating itself with patient support apparatus 420, one or moreapplications or servers on computer network 74 will be able to receivealerts that a specific patient has exited, or is about to exit, chair78. Further, the activity of a specific patient may be monitored (e.g.how often he/she gets up, lies down, moves from support apparatus 420 tochair 78 and back again, etc.). This information may be stored, or madeavailable to healthcare workers, via any of the servers or applicationson network 74, or it may be communicated via user interface 76 a.

FIG. 6 illustrates another patient support apparatus 520 having aseparate network transceiver 80 that is used to communicate withhealthcare network 74 which, as noted above, is commonly, but notnecessarily, an Ethernet. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, far fieldtransceiver 50 of support apparatus 520 is used solely to communicatewith the far field transceiver 50 of either one or more medical devices72, or one or more pieces of furniture 78. The communication andassociation between support apparatus 520 and device 72 or furniture 78takes place in the same manners as have been described above. Networktransceiver 80 is commonly a WiFi transceiver that is able to establisha wireless communication link with network 74, although it will beunderstood that other types of transceivers can be used.

FIG. 6 provides more detail regarding one or more third partyapplications or servers that are potentially resident on healthcarenetwork 74. Such applications or servers may be conventional,commercially available applications or servers. The precise number andcontent of the servers/applications on network 74 will be dependent uponthe particular healthcare facility in which support apparatus 520 ispositioned, but FIG. 6 provides a representative sampling of some of theservers/applications that are common in a healthcare facility.

In the illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 6, network 74 includes aplurality of nurses stations 82, one or more tablets or smart phones 84,one or more computers on wheels (COW) 86, work stations 88, and apatient support apparatus server 90. An electronic medical records (EMR)server 92 is also included. As noted, network 74 may further include oneor more additional devices, applications, and/or servers, or it mayinclude one or fewer devices, applications, and/or servers, dependingupon the particular configuration that has been implemented at aparticular healthcare facility. Such additional devices, applications,and/or servers may include an Admission, Discharge, and Transfer (ADT)system that manages the admission, discharge, and transfer of patientsin the healthcare facility; and/or a workflow server that manages thework assignments of caregivers in the healthcare facility; and/orwireless alerting system that automatically forwards alarms and alertsto appropriate healthcare personnel via wireless communicationtechnology. Such wireless communication technology includes technologyfor forwarding alerts via one or more of cell phones, WIFI devices,pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), or by other means. Anyinformation that is transmitted to network 74 via network transceiver 80of support apparatuses 520, or by network transceivers incorporated intoother devices (e.g. device 72 or recliner 78) can therefore cause analert to be forwarded to the appropriate caregiver(s), depending uponthe contents of such information. The nurses station 82, tablets 84,computers on wheels 86, work stations 88, patient support apparatusserver 90, electronic medical record systems 92, ADT systems, work flowsystems, and wireless alerting systems may all be conventional productsthat are commercially available from one or more different suppliers, aswould be known to one of ordinary skill in the art.

In one embodiment, patient support apparatus server 90 is a server thatis commercially offered for sale by Stryker Medical of Kalamazoo, Mich.In other embodiments, patient support apparatus server 90 is a differenttype of server. Patient support apparatus server 90 coordinatescommunications between the various patient support apparatuses 520 in ahealthcare facility and any of the other applications or servers thatare present on network 74. Thus, server 90 receives communications fromapparatuses 520 and then forwards—or makes available—information fromthose communications to selected entities on network 74, as appropriate.Either server 90, or one of the other applications or servers on network74, includes a table or database containing information that eithercorrelates patient identification with room location, or patientidentification with specific patient support apparatus ID information.This table or database is used to associate incoming information with aspecific patient, to the extent the incoming information does notalready include this information. Thus, for example, if a supportapparatus 520 sends information to server 90 about the patient supportedthereon (e.g. their weight), but does not identify the specific patient,server 90 determines the patient ID by either using the room locationinformation or the patient support ID information that is sent fromsupport apparatus 520. More specifically, server 90 consults the tableor database that correlates either the room location to patient ID, orthe specific patient support apparatus ID to patient ID. In this manner,the incoming information is matched to the correct patient.

FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of a patient support apparatus 620according to another embodiment of the present invention. In theembodiment of FIG. 7, patient support apparatus 620 is specifically acot. Cot 620 includes a patient support deck 30 mounted to a frame orlitter 28, which in turn is coupled to a plurality of legs that formpatient elevation adjustment mechanisms 26. A base 22 supports thebottom of support apparatus 620 and includes a plurality of wheels 24.Support apparatus 620 further includes a pair of upper wheels 94 thatare each attached to a telescoping arm 96. Telescoping arm 96 is movableback and forth in a direction indicated by arrow 98. This telescopingmovement is accommodated by a pair of side arms 100 on litter 28 thathave an internal diameter larger than the external diameter oftelescoping arms 96 so as to receive the telescoping arms 96 therein.The telescoping movement of arms 96 helps facilitate the ingress andegress of cot 620 into and out of emergency vehicles, such asambulances, rescue squads, helicopters, or the like. More specifically,by setting upper wheels 94 on top of a floor inside the ambulance, orother vehicle, a head end 102 of cot 620 can be supported via wheels 94,thereby enabling a caregiver at a foot end 104 of cot 620 to raise orlower base 22 while manually lifting the foot end 104 of cot 620.

Because of the telescoping movement of arms 96, prior cots haveheretofore not included any control panel, or other electrical controls,at head end 102. Cot 620, however, includes a control panel 106positioned at head end 102. Control panel 106 includes one or morebuttons, switches, a touch screen, or other means of enabling acaregiver to control the operation of cot 620. In the embodiments shown,control panel 106 includes a control for automatically raising base 22toward litter 28, and another control for automatically lowering base 22from litter 28 toward the ground. This automatic movement is carried outby elevation adjustment mechanisms or actuators 26, which, in someembodiments, include one or more electric motors. The detailedmechanical construction of cot 620 may take on any of a variety ofdifferent forms. In one embodiment, the mechanical construction is thesame as that described in commonly assigned, U.S. Pat. No. 7,725,968issued to Clifford Lambarth and entitled AMBULANCE COT WITH RETRACTABLEHEAD SECTION AND CONTROL SYSTEM THEREFOR, the complete disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 8 illustrates a control diagram corresponding to cot 620 that showsthe manner in which the inputs received at control panel 106 arecommunicated to elevation adjustment mechanisms 26. Control panel 106 isin electrical communication with a near field transceiver 48 m. Theelectrical signals generated by control panel 106 as a result of a userpressing on the one or more buttons, or otherwise manipulating thecontrols of panel 106, are forwarded to near field transceiver 48,either before or after additional processing. Indeed, a separatecontroller 54 (not shown) is included on cot 620 in some embodiments forinterfacing between control panel 106 and near field transceiver 48 m.Near field transceiver 48 m is oriented and positioned on cot 620 at alocation where it will be able to communicate with a corresponding nearfield transceiver 48 n positioned on litter 28. This near fieldcommunication is able to take place regardless of whether or nottelescoping arms 96 are in a fully extended position, a fully retractedposition, or in some intermediate position between the two.

Near field transceiver 48 n is in communication with a controller 54 ithat controls the operation of elevation adjustment mechanisms 26.Controller 54 i is also in electrical communication with a secondcontrol panel 108 positioned at foot end 104 of cot 620. Controller 54 iis therefore capable of receiving control signals for controllingelevation adjustment mechanisms 26 from either head end control panel106 or foot end control panel 108. The communication between controller54 i, elevation adjustment mechanisms 26, foot end control panel 108,and near field transceiver 48 n is carried out by wired connections. Thecommunication between transceivers 48 n and 48 m is carried out viawireless near field communication. The communication between controlpanel 106 and near field transceiver 48 m is carried out by wiredconnections. Thus, there are no wired connections between the electricalcomponents supported on telescoping arms 96 (e.g. control panel 106 andnear field transceiver 48 m) and the electrical components supported onthe rest of litter 28. By eliminating any wired connections between thecomponents on telescoping arms 96 and the rest of litter 28, thechallenges of designing and implementing a wired connection for anelectrical component on a telescoping and movable member is avoided.That is, the difficulty of excess electrical wire slack when telescopingarms 96 are retracted is avoided, as well ensuring the sufficientelectrical wire is always available for extending telescoping arms 96without damaging the electrical wires.

Head end control panel 106 uses near field transceiver 48 m tocommunicate the instructions it receives from a caregiver to raise orlower base 22. Because these commands occur only infrequently during theusage of cot 620, and because there is not a lot of data involved incommunicating these commands, cot 620 does not include any far fieldtransceivers 50. However, in alternative embodiments, particularly wherecontrol panel 106 may include additional functions, communicateadditional information to and from controller 54 i, cot 620 can bemodified to include a pair of far field transceivers, one of which wouldbe supported on telescoping arms 96 and the other of which would bepositioned on litter 28. Such far field transceivers 50 could be inaddition to, or in lieu of, near field transceivers 48 n and 48 m.

Because near field transceivers 48 n and 48 m are both fixed attached tocot 620 during the time of manufacture, there is no need for thesetransceivers 48 to follow the association algorithms discussed above.That is, both transceivers 48 n and 48 m can be programmed duringmanufacture to recognize each other as being on the same cot 620 and tobe able to distinguish near field signals that might, on occasion, bedetected from other transceivers that were temporarily positioned withinnear field communication vicinity of cot 620. Such programming can becarried out by assigning each transceiver 48 n and 48 m a unique ID thatdistinguishes them from other similar transceivers 48 positioned onsimilar cots, or by other means.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate another embodiment of a patient supportapparatus 720. As with patient support apparatus 620, patient supportapparatus 720 is a cot, although it will be understood that theprinciples of cots 620 and 720 can be applied to different types ofpatient support apparatuses. As shown in the electrical diagram of FIG.10, patient support apparatus 720 includes a foot end control panel 108that is in electrical communication (via one or more wires) with a nearfield transceiver 48 o and an elevation adjustment mechanism, ormechanisms, 26. Control panel 108 and elevation adjustment mechanism 26operate in the same manner described above with respect to cot 620, andneed not be discussed further herein. Near field transceiver 48 o ispositioned at any suitable location on litters 28 where it cancommunicate, via near field communication, with a corresponding nearfield communication transceiver 48 p positioned on base 22 of patientsupport apparatus 720.

Near field communication transceiver 48 p is in electrical communicationwith (via one or more wires) one or more wheel actuators 110. While FIG.10 illustrates near field transceiver 48 p being in electricalcommunication with two wheel actuators 110, it will be understood that,at least in some embodiments, transceiver 48 p will communicate withonly a single wheel actuator 110, while in other embodiments,transceiver 48 p will communicate with three or four wheel actuators110. Further, it will be understood that, although FIG. 10 does notidentify a separate controller 54 for intermediating communicationbetween wheel actuators 110 and near field transceiver 48 p, such acontroller can be added, or the functions of such a controller can beincorporated into either near field transceiver 48 p, or wheel actuators110, or distributed between the two.

Wheel actuators 110, in one embodiment, lock and unlock a brake for anassociated wheel 24. Such locking and unlocking is carried outautomatically in response to commands that are delivered to near fieldtransceiver 48 p through near field transceiver 48 o (which, in turn,receives the commands from control panel 108). Cot 720 therefore enablesa user to activate or de-activate the brakes on wheels 24 bymanipulating a suitable control on foot end control panel 108. Thiselectrical locking and unlocking of the brakes, in one embodiment, isthe only means to lock and unlock the brakes. In another embodiment,this electrical locking and unlocking of the brakes works in conjunctionwith manual brakes that are positioned on one or more of wheels 24. Whenboth electrical and manual brakes are included, the electrical brakesare configured to override the manual brakes such that a caregiver canrelease all of the manually set brakes via one or more controls on panel108.

The number of wheel actuators 110 in a given embodiment of patientsupport apparatus 720 will depend upon the number of wheels 24 that aredesirably able to be braked. In some embodiments, this may only be twowheels 24, while in other embodiments this may be all four wheels 24. Instill other embodiments, the brake only brakes a single wheel 24. Ifonly two wheels 24 are braked, the specific two wheels can be any offour wheels 24 shown in support apparatus 720.

As noted, patient support apparatus 720 is constructed so that base 22is movable with respect to litter 28 generally vertically in thedirection of arrow 112. That is, base 22 can be extended downwardly fromlitter 28, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, or it can be retracted upwardlytoward litter 28 so that there is minimal separation between litter 28and base 22. The physical construction of cot 720 that enables thismovement in direction 112 can take on any suitable form. In oneembodiment, cot 720 is constructed in the manner shown in commonlyassigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,725,968 issued to Clifford Lambarth andentitled AMBULANCE COT WITH RETRACTABLE HEAD SECTION AND CONTROL SYSTEMTHEREFOR, the complete disclosure of which has already been incorporatedherein by reference. Other physical constructions are also possible.

Near field transceivers 48 o and 48 p are positioned at any suitablelocations on cot 720 that enable them to communicate with each otherusing near field communications regardless of whether base 22 has beenfully extended downward from litter 28, or has been fully retractedupward toward litter 28, or is in any intermediate positiontherebetween. As with cot 620, the near field communications of cot 720enables communication between components that are movable with respectto each other without having to deal with the challenges of a wiredconnection (e.g. slack take up, extension, storage, and movement). Nearfield transceiver 48 o transmits a command to near field transceiver 48p to either lock or unlock the brakes of one or more wheels 24,depending upon signals received from control panel 108. Near fieldtransceiver 48 p transmits information back to transceiver 48 oindicating the status of the brakes, or acknowledging the transmittedinformation, or any other information that is usefully communicated totransceiver 48 o. Depending on the information transmitted, transceiver48 o forwards the information to control panel 108 for display thereon(e.g. the current status of the brakes).

In another embodiment, wheel actuators 110 are configured to lock thesteering of their associated wheels 24, rather than to lock the rotationof their associated wheels 24. That is, wheel actuators 110 are, in thisembodiment, swivel locks that selectively prevent the swiveling ofwheels 24 about a generally vertical rotational axis. When configured asswivel locks, wheel actuators 110 facility the steering of patientsupport apparatus 720 as it is pushed along the ground. That is, bypreventing the swiveling of one or more wheels 24, a caregiver is betterable to steer support apparatus 720 while pushing or pulling it over theground. The physical construction of the swivel locks may take on anysuitable physical form. In one embodiment, the swivel locks are of thetype disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. provisional patent applicationSer. No. 61/557,781 filed Nov. 9, 2011 by applicants William Childs etal. and entitled WHEELED CARRIAGE WITH BRAKE LOCK SYSTEM, the completedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Inanother embodiment, the swivel locks and/or rotational locks arephysically constructed as disclosed in the aforementioned commonlyassigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,690,059 issued to Lemire et al., and entitledHOSPITAL BED, the complete disclosure of which has been incorporatedherein by reference.

When wheel actuators 110 are configured as swivel locks, the number ofwheels actuators 110 included on base 22 will be an even multiple. Thatis, either two or four of wheels 24 will include swivel locks 110.Further, if only two wheels 24 include swivel locks 110, the two wheelswill be positioned on opposite sides of support 720 from each other,rather than on the same side with one positioned in front of the other.

The control of actuators 110 as swivel locks is effectuated in the samemanner as the control of actuators 110 when implemented as brakes. Thatis, control panel 108 includes one or more controls for turning on andoff the swivel locks. When one of these controls is manipulated in theappropriate manner by a caregiver, panel 108 sends a signal to nearfield transceiver 48 o, which then sends a near field command to nearfield transceiver 48 p. Transceiver 48 p then forwards the command tothe wheel actuators 110, causing them to either prevent or allowswiveling of their associated wheels 24. Status, or other information,may be sent back to control panel 108 via near field transceiver 48 pand 48 o.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, in still otherembodiments, wheel actuators 110 can be configured to both selectivelylock and unlock the rotation of wheels 24, as well as to selectivelylock and unlock the swiveling of wheels 24. That is, control panel 108may include separate controls—one (or one set) for braking and unbrakingcot 720, and one (or one set) for locking and unlocking the swivelingability of one or more wheels 24. The signals from these controls areforwarded to actuators 110 via the near field connection betweentransceivers 48 o and 48 p.

It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that the nearfield communications of cots 620 and 720 can be combined into a singlecot, if desired. That is, in one embodiment, a cot (not shown) includesnear field transceivers 48 m and 48 n for communication between a headend control panel 106 and the main portion of litter 28, as well as nearfield transceivers 48 o and 48 p for communication between the mainportion of litter 28 and base 22. In such an embodiment, controller 54 icoordinates the communications from the multiple control panels to thedifferent actuators (e.g. wheel actuators 110 and height adjustmentmechanisms 26). Head end control panel 106 includes the same controls asthose found on foot end control panel 108. That is, each control panel106, 108 is able to raise and lower base 22, as well as to lock andunlock the brakes and/or lock and unlock the swiveling ability of one ormore wheels 24.

FIG. 11 illustrates another embodiment of a patient support apparatus820. Patient support apparatus 820 is the same as patient supportapparatus 720, and operates in the same manner with all of the samefunctionality and variable embodiments of support apparatus 720, withone exception. Patient support apparatus 820 includes the addition of apair of flux concentrators 114 that are absent from support apparatus720. Other than this addition, the two apparatuses 720 and 820 are thesame. The description of the functionality of cot 720 applies equally tocot 820, and therefore need not be repeated.

Cot 820 includes a pair of flux concentrators 114 that are provided inorder to increase the near field communication range of near fieldtransceivers 48 o and 48 p. Such concentrators 114 are useful where thedistance between base 22 and litter 28, when the two are extended apart,is greater than the near field communication ranges of transceivers 48 oand 48 p without the concentrators, or where it is otherwise desired touse less power in the near field communications between base 22 andlitter 28. Flux concentrators 114 may take on a variety of differentforms, many of which are discussed in greater detail with respect toFIGS. 12-17. In general, flux concentrators 114 provide a localizedincrease in the magnetic flux density that thereby increases the abilityof an adjacent near field antenna to detect near field communicationsthat are being sent to it. In other words, in the example of FIG. 11,the flux concentrator 114 on litter 28 assists transceiver 48 o indetecting and receiving near field communications that are sent fromtransceiver 48 p on base 22. Conversely, the flux concentrator 114 onbase 22 assists transceiver 48 p in detecting and receiving near fieldcommunications that are sent from transceiver 48 o on litter 28.

In order to operate most effectively, each flux concentrator should bepositioned next to the coil antenna of the transceiver at a distanceless than about half the diameter of the flux concentrator 114. Thisrelationship can be better understood with reference to FIG. 12, whichshows a first coil antenna 52 c, a second coil antenna 52 d, a firstflux concentrator 114 a, and a second flux concentrator 114 b. Each fluxconcentrator 114 a,b is illustrated as a closed circuit with a capacitor116 included. The wire of the closed circuit has an internal resistancethat, in combination with the selection of a desired capacitive value,will create an RC constant that is suitable for use the near fieldcommunication frequency, as would be known to one of ordinary skill inthe art. In other words, the selection of the specific value forcapacitor 116 will be based upon the near field communication frequencyand the internal resistance of the wire loops of flux concentrator 114a. Because the flux concentrators 114 a and b in FIG. 12 are closedcircuits, they do not need any supply of electrical power, and can beincorporated into components or devices (e.g. patient supportapparatuses) without requiring an electrical connection.

The wire loops of the flux concentrators 114 in FIG. 12 are arranged ingenerally square shapes. The length of each side of the square shapes isgenerally indicated by the letter D. In order to work most effectively,flux concentrator 114 a should be positioned within a distance of ½*D offirst coil antenna 52 c. Similarly, flux concentrator 114 b should bepositioned within a distance of ½*D of second antenna coil 52 d. If thewire loops of flux concentrators 114 are arranged in circles, then thedistance D will correspond to the diameter of the circles, and theadjacent antenna coil 52 should be positioned within half of thatdiameter. If the flux concentrators are rectangular shapes, or otherwiseshaped with sides of unequal length, the adjacent antenna coil may needto be positioned within half of the length of the shortest side,although satisfactory results may be possible at greater distances.While the various drawings herein show the flux concentrator 114positioned between the transmitting coil 52 and the receiving coil, itwill be understood that the flux concentrator could be positioned behindthe receiving coil 52—that is, located such that the concentrator 114was positioned on a side of the receiving coil 52 opposite thetransmitting coil 52.

Although FIG. 12 and several of the other figures show fluxconcentrators 114 as closed circuits with a capacitor, it will also beunderstood by those skilled in the art that conventional Radio Frequency(RF) ID cards can also be used as flux concentrators. In one embodiment,a Tag-it HF-I Pro Transponder having the part number RI-I11-114A-01available from Texas Instruments of Dallas, Tex. was found to providesuitable results. Other types of transponders, or other different typesof constructions of flux concentrators 114, may be used.

In the arrangement shown in FIG. 12, second flux concentrator 114 bassists second coil antenna 52 d in receiving near field transmissionssent from first coil antenna 52 c. Similarly, first flux concentrator114 a assists first coil antennas 52 c in receiving near fieldtransmissions sent from second coil antenna 52 d. If only one waycommunication is desired between coils 52 c and 52 d, then the fluxconcentrator 114 next to the transmitting coil 52 could be eliminated,if desired. It may also be desirable to use only a single fluxconcentrator in other instances as well. For example, in some cases, oneof the coil antennas 52 c or 52 d could be powered by a battery sourceof power while the other of the coil antennas 52 c or 52 d could bepowered by a connection to a mains outlet. In such instances, it may bedesirable to use less power for transmissions from the battery-poweredcoil antenna 52, while using more power for the mains-powered coilantenna 52. Accordingly, for these instances, a single flux concentrator114 could be positioned next to the mains-powered coil 52 so that theweaker-powered signals transmitted from the battery-powered coil couldbe detected. Other situations may also warrant only a single fluxconcentrator, including, but not limited to, the situation where thecoils 52 are so close together that a single flux concentrator 114 couldconcentrate flux for both coil antennas 52

The arrangement and construction of flux concentrators 114 in FIG. 12illustrates one manner for implementing the flux concentrators 114 usedin the cot 820 of FIG. 11. Further, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that flux concentrators 114 could be added to any ofthe patient support apparatus embodiments discussed previously that usenear field communication. Thus, any of patient support apparatuses 20,120, 220, 320, 420, 520, 620, and 720 (as well as other discussed below)could be modified to include one or more flux concentrators 114 toincrease the flux concentrations adjacent to the antenna coils 52within, or coupled to, transceivers 48. For those patient supportapparatus embodiments having multiple transceivers 48, such as supportapparatuses 320, 420, and 520 of FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, respectively, thesupport apparatus would, in some embodiments, include multiple fluxconcentrators 114—one positioned adjacent to each coil of transceivers48. Flux concentrators 114 could also be including within medicaldevices 72, furniture 78, footboard 34, and/or mattress 36.

FIG. 13 illustrates another arrangement of antenna coils 52 and fluxconcentrators 114 that could be used in one or more of the patientsupport apparatus embodiments discussed herein. More specifically, thearrangement of FIG. 13 illustrates three antenna coils 52 wherein theflux concentrators can be used to selectively allow and disallowcommunication between certain ones of the antennas 52. The arrangementof FIG. 13 includes a transmitting coil antenna 52 e and two receivingcoil antennas 52 f and 52 g. The two receiving coil antennas 52 f and 52g are oriented parallel to each other, but perpendicular with respect totransmitting coil antenna 52 e. This means that, in the absence of fluxconcentrators 114 (as explained below), any near field transmissionsfrom transmitter coil 52 e will not be detected by coils 52 f or 52 gbecause the lines of magnetic flux from coil 52 e will generally notpass through the center or the coils 52 f and 52 g in a directionaligned with the axes of coils 52 f and 52 g. However, because fluxconcentrators 114 c and 114 d are each oriented at approximately aforty-five degree angle with respect to coil 52 e (and coils 52 f and 52g), each flux concentrator 114 c and 114 d will concentrate flux in amanner that enables coils 52 f and 52 g to detect these transmissions.Flux concentrators 114 c and 114 d therefore enable communicationbetween antennas 52 that have misaligned axes.

Still further, flux concentrators 114 c and 114 d each have a switch 118that is capable of being opened or closed. When the switch 118 is open,the flux concentrator 114 ceases to concentrate flux, thereby providingno assistance to the nearby antenna 52 f or 52 g in detectingtransmissions from coil 52 e. Consequently, because of this lack ofassistance and because of the perpendicular alignment of antennas 52 fand 52 g with respect to antenna 52, no near field communication cantake place between coil 52 e and the coil whose flux concentrator 114has its switch 118 opened. One or more controllers (not shown) can becoupled to one or both of switches 118 of concentrators 114 c and 114 din order to selectively control when each flux concentrator 114 isactive or inactive. By turning on and shutting off flux concentrators114 c and 114 d at appropriate times, the controller or controllers cancontrol which antenna 52 f or 52 g is able to receive (or transmit) nearfield communications from (or to) antenna coil 52 e. In some instances,it is desirable for only one coil 52 f or 52 g to communicate with coil52 e at a time, while in other instances it is desirable for both coils52 f and 52 g to either be able to simultaneously communicate with coil52 e or for both coils 52 f and 52 g to not be able to communicate withcoil 52 e. This can be easily accomplished through the control ofswitches 118. The arrangement of coils 52 e, f, and g of FIG. 13 may beused in any patient support apparatus, medical device, piece offurniture, mattress, or other device that communicates therewith whereit is desirable to control the ability of coils 52 to communicate witheach other. Further, while FIG. 13 shows two coils 52 f and 52 g, insome instances it may be desirable to selectively control thecommunication between only a single pair of coils (e.g. 52 e and 52 f),or between more than the three coils shown in FIG. 13.

FIG. 14. illustrates an arrangement of a pair of antenna coils 52 h and52 i and a flux concentrator 114 e. Flux concentrator 114 e is shown abeing angularly pivotable with respect to antenna 52 h and 52 i.Depending upon the angle of flux concentrator 114 e with respect toantenna 52 h, the voltage detected at antenna 52 i due to near fieldtransmissions from antenna 52 h will vary. Therefore, by measuring thedetected voltage at receiver 52 i, the angle of concentrator 114 e canbe determined. Concentrator 114 e may be positioned inside of, orattached to, a component that is movable and whose orientation isdesirably known. The arrangement of FIG. 14 allows this angularorientation to be determined through the use of near field antennas 52 hand 52 i.

FIG. 15 illustrates an arrangement of a pair of coil antennas 52 j and52 k, as well as a pair of flux concentrators 114 f and 114 g. Fluxconcentrators 114 f and 114 g are arranged in a generally parallelfashion and spaced apart by a gap G. When gap G has a specificmagnitude—the actual numeric value of which will depend upon thefrequency at which the near field communications are taking place, aswell as the dimensions of concentrators 114 f and 114 g—the pair of fluxconcentrators 114 f and 114 g will prevent all near field communicationstransmitted from antenna 52 j from being detected at antenna 52 k. Whenthe value of gap G is changed from this specific blocking distance, suchnear field communications transmitted from antenna 52 j to antenna 52 kwill once again be detectable at antenna 52 k. Antenna coils 52 j and 52k can therefore be used to determine if concentrators 114 f and g, orobjects coupled to concentrators 114 f and 114 g, are positioned at adesired distance from each other by monitoring the signal strength.

FIG. 16 illustrates an arrangement of a pair of coil antennas 52 l and52 m, as well as a pair of flux concentrators 114 h and 114 i. Coils 52l and 52 m are each arranged with their axes oriented generally paralleland aligned. Thus, assuming they are within near field communicationdistance of each other, they will be able to transmit and/or receivenear field communications to and from each other. However, this abilityto communicate via near field communication will depend upon therelative position of flux concentrators 114 h and 114 i with respect toeach other. As shown, flux concentrators 114 h and 114 i are generallyplanar and oriented so that their planes are parallel to each other.Depending upon the relative alignment of concentrators 114 h and 114 i,the near field communication between coil antennas 52 l and 52 m can beselectively allowed or stopped.

Each flux concentrator 114 h and 114 i in FIG. 16 includes an upper edge119 and a lower edge 122. Further, each flux concentrator 114 h and 114i has a height of H. Together, concentrators 114 h and 114 i will blocknear field communication from coil 52 l to coil 52 m if the bottom edges122 are displaced by more than half of the height H in the direction124. That is, if bottom edge 122 of concentrator 114 i is moved upwardlyin direction 124 to a point greater than the midpoint of the height H ofconcentrator 114 h, this misalignment of the two concentrators will stopmagnetic flux from coil 52 l from being delivered to coil 52 m.Similarly, if the top edges 119 of concentrators 114 h and 114 i aredisplaced by more than half of the height H in the direction 124, thiswill also stop such near field communication. Coils 52 l and 52 m cantherefore be used to detect the relative position of concentrators 114 hand 114 i, or the relative positions of objects coupled to concentrators114 h and 114 i.

FIG. 17 shows another arrangement of coil antennas 52 n and 52 o, whichare separated by a flux concentrator 114 j. Coils 52 n and 52 o arearranged with their axes oriented at approximately ninety degrees withrespect to each other. As such, they are generally incapable ofcommunicating via near field communications in the absence of fluxconcentrator 114 j. By adding concentrator 114 j, near fieldcommunication is able to take place between the two coils 52 n and 52 o.The addition of one or more flux concentrators 114 therefore improvesand/or enables near field communications between antenna coils that arenot able to be aligned. This can be useful in any of the patient supportapparatus embodiments discussed above where, due to physical constraintsand/or for other reasons, it may not be possible to ensure a sufficientdegree of axial alignment between the antenna coils 52 of thecommunicating transceivers. By adding one or more concentrators 114positioned at suitable locations and with suitable orientations,communications between the transceivers 48 can be enabled and/orimproved.

The arrangements of the flux concentrators 114 in any of FIGS. 12-17 maybe used in any suitable manner on any of the patient support apparatusembodiments discussed herein. For example, one suitable use for thearrangement of FIG. 16 is to use near field coils 52 l and 52 m, alongwith concentrators 114 h and 114 i, to determine whether an X-raycartridge is properly aligned with an X-ray transmitter used to takeX-rays of a patient positioned on a support apparatus, such as, forexample, a stretcher. The concentrators may also be used to determinethe alignment of the body portion of the patient lying on the stretcherwith the X-ray. Specific details of a stretcher configured toaccommodate X-ray cartridges, and which can be modified to include theconcentrators 114 and near field coils 52 disclosed herein, aredisclosed in commonly assigned U.S. provisional patent application Ser.No. 13/736,396 filed Jan. 8, 2013 by applicant Matthew Brougham andentitled X-RAY COMPATIBLE PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS, the completedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

One or more flux concentrators 114 may also be used to assist in theinductive communication and/or inductive power transfer between a cotand a trolley and/or between a cot and a loading device for the cot thatassists in the loading and unloading of the cot into and out ofemergency vehicles. For example, one or more flux concentrators 114could be coupled to the cot disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/886,987 filed Sep. 21, 2010 by applicantsClifford Lambarth et al., and entitled AMBULANCE COT AND LOADING ANDUNLOADING SYSTEM, the complete disclosure of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference. More particularly, one or more fluxconcentrators may be positioned between the primary and second coilsidentified by the reference number 230 and 232 in the '987 application,or between the coils 234 and 236 identified therein.

The flux concentrators 114 shown in the accompanying drawings may bemodified to include different shapes than those shown herein. Inaddition to different shapes of the individual coils formed by theconductors of concentrators 114, the generally planar shape ofconcentrators 114 may also be altered in order to improve or otherwisechange their flux concentrating characteristics. As one example, theflux concentrators 114 may be altered to have a non-planar shape thatgenerally matches a portion of a sphere. Such partially spherical shapesmay be useful where the precise location of one coil antenna 52 withrespect to the other antenna coil 52 is not known, or is variable. Suchvariability happens in the situation where coils 52 are included insideof one of the patient support apparatuses for detecting medical devices72 and/or pieces of furniture 78, such as has been discussed above withrespect to FIGS. 4-6. The precise position of the medical device 72 orpiece of furniture 78 with respect to the patient support apparatus willdepend upon where there caregiver positions the medical device,furniture, and/or patient support apparatus. In order to allow the nearfield transceivers 48 on the support apparatus to be able tosufficiently communicate via near field communications regardless of theprecise orientation and position of the coil antennas 52, one ore moreflux concentrators 114 may be incorporated into the patient supportapparatus, and such concentrators 114 may be non-planar. Further, morethan one flux concentrator 114 may be used for a single coil antenna 52in order to broaden the range and direction which the coil antenna 52 isable to receive near field transmissions. In some embodiments, fluxconcentrator 114 is shaped like a plurality of surfaces of adodecahedron, or other multi-surface solid. That is, the fluxconcentrator has multiple non-parallel planes. In such configurations,each plane may be a separate set of electric loops that are electricallyisolated from the loops of the other planes, or the loops from themultiple planes may be electrically coupled together. Still further, themedical device 72 and/or pieces of furniture 78 may likewise includesuch non-planar flux concentrators 114, including multiple fluxconcentrators 114 for each coil antenna 52. In yet other embodiments,each near field transceiver may include, or be in electricalcommunication with, multiple coil antennas 52 which are positioned indifferent locations and/or oriented at different orientations, so as toensure that at least one of the multiple coil antennas 52 will be ableto communicate properly with the one or more antennas 52 that arecoupled to the other device or structure.

FIG. 18 illustrates another embodiment of a patient support apparatus920 that includes a controller 54 j, a pair of near field transceivers48 q and 48 r (each having, or in communication with, one or moreantenna coils 52 (not shown)), and a far field transceiver 50 k, all ofwhich are in electrical communication with each other. Support apparatus920 is the same as, and operates in the same manner as, patient supportapparatus 320 (FIG. 4) with the exception that support apparatus 920includes a plurality of flux concentrators 114. Further, medical device72, which is adapted to communicate via near field communications withpatient support apparatus 920 (when they are in range of each other),includes one or more flux concentrators 114. Other than these fluxconcentrators 114, support apparatus 920 and medical device 72 operatein the same manner as described above. In brief overview, if the two arewithin near field range of each other, then patient support apparatus920 will associate the two. Data indicating this association is thenshared between the two, forwarded to a server or application running onthe healthcare facility's computer network, used to correlate data frommedical device 72 with a specific patient, and/or for other purposes.

While FIG. 18 illustrates only a single flux concentrator 114 positionedadjacent to each near field transceiver 48, it will be understood that,as mentioned above, multiple flux concentrators 114 could be used foreach transceiver. Such multiple flux concentrators 114 could be used toextend the communication range of the near field transceivers 48,including shaping the range in any one or more of the vertical,longitudinal, and lateral directions. Such concentrators could beplanar, as shown in the attached drawings, or non-planar, as well asmulti-planar. While FIG. 18 illustrates one specific example of the useof flux concentrators on a patient support apparatus, it will beunderstood that any of the patient support apparatuses described inFIGS. 1-10 could include flux concentrators next to the near fieldantennas 52.

FIG. 19 illustrates another patient support apparatus 1020 having aplurality of near field transceivers 48 (each having, or incommunication with, one or more antenna coils 52 (not shown)), each ofwhich is in communication with a controller 54, and each of whichincludes at least one associated flux concentrator 114. Controller 54 isalso shown to be in communication with a far field transceiver 50. FIG.19 further illustrates a near field communication range 128 thatrepresents the total near field communication range of patient supportapparatus 1020. That is, range 128 represents the outer physicaldistance from support apparatus 1020 that support apparatus 1020 is ableto communicate via near field communications using near fieldtransceivers 48. Range 128 is therefore the cumulative range of all ofthe individual ranges of each near field transceiver 48.

Near field range 128 also represents, as discussed above, the physicalarea where, if a medical device 72, piece of furniture 78, or otherstructure having near field communications is positioned, patientsupport apparatus 1020 will either automatically associate thatstructure with patient support apparatus 1020, or suggest such anassociation to a caregiver (such as, for example, via a screen or otheruser interface that is part of support apparatus 1020). Such associationis carried out in the manners discussed above. Further, once theassociation is established, subsequent communications can be used toperiodically reconfirm the association.

The size and/or shape of near field range 128 shown in FIG. 19 isarbitrary. This size and shape can be modified through multipledifferent techniques. First, the number of near field transceivers 48can be changed. Second, the position and/or arrangement of the nearfield transceivers 48 can be arranged. Third, the electrical powersupplied to the near field transceivers 48—either individually orcollectively—can be changed. Fourth, the number, configuration, andposition of the flux concentrators 114 can also be changed. Through theappropriate selection of these multiple variables, a patient supportapparatus 1020 may be constructed such that its near field communicationrange 128 has the precise size and shape for a given implementation.This also gives the manufacturer of the support apparatus control overwhat positions medical devices 72, furniture 78, and/or other structuresneed to be in order for the patient support apparatus to associateitself with the device, furniture, or other structure.

The ability to control the size and shape of near field communicationrange 128 is applicable to all of the patient support apparatusesdisclosed herein. That is, the size and shape of the near fieldcommunication ranges of any the of support apparatuses discussed hereinmay be changed by changing the number, location, and/or power suppliedto near field transceivers 48, as well as the number, position, and/orconfiguration of one or more flux concentrators 114. Thus, it will beunderstood the number, position, and orientation of the near fieldtransceivers 48 and/or flux concentrators 114 shown in the drawings maybe changed, as suitable.

FIG. 20 illustrates another patient support apparatus 1120 which isconfigured to associate itself with one or more devices 130 using farfield communications. Thus, as illustrated, patient support apparatus1120 includes no near field transceivers 48 that are used fordetermining whether to associate itself with a device 130. Device 130may be a medical device 72, a piece of furniture 78, or any otherstructure for which it is desirable to associate with patient supportapparatus 1120 when it is positioned within a physical proximity tosupport apparatus 1120. Patient support apparatus 1120 includes acontroller 54 that is electrically coupled to a far field transceiver50. Controller 54 determines whether any devices 130 are within aphysical proximity to support apparatus 1120 by broadcasting aninterrogation message at a very low power so that only responsive device(e.g. such as device 130) that are very close to support apparatus 1120will detect the message and respond. Controller 54 is configured to sendthis initially low power interrogation message and then wait forresponses. If no responses are detected, controller 54, in someembodiments, is programmed to send another interrogation message at aslightly higher power level, thereby increasing the range slightly. Suchrepeated transmissions of interrogation messages at increasing levels ofpower can be continued until a maximum desired range is reached. If noresponses are received from any of the multiple messages that have beentransmitted, then no devices are within close enough physical proximityto justify making an association.

If a device 130 is positioned sufficiently close to support apparatus1120 such that it responds to one or more of the interrogation messages,then support apparatus 1120 is configured to take any of the subsequentsteps described above in the various patient support apparatusembodiments that associate devices to the support apparatuses. Ingeneral, that is, support apparatus 1120 is configured to eitherautomatically associate itself with device 130, or suggest such anassociation to a caregiver for him or her to manually confirm or deny.Further, once such an association is made, repeated interrogations andresponses between support apparatus 1120 and device 130 may be made inorder to continually validate the association. Other information mayalso be exchanged via far field transceivers 50 on support apparatus1120 and device 130, including, but not limited to, patient data,alerts, IDs, and the like.

In addition to, or in lieu of, the devices 72, furniture 78, mattress36, footboard 34, and/or any of the other structures discussed above,any of the near field transceivers 48 in any of the patient supportembodiments discussed above may also be designed to communicate with oneor more RF ID tags. Such RF ID tags may be conventional RF ID tags thatare commercially available from multiple sources. Such RF ID tags may beworn by caregivers, patients, or attached to medical devices or otherstructures. Depending upon which types of RF ID tags a patient supportapparatus is intended to detect, suitably positioned near fieldtransceivers 48 (in sufficient number) are incorporated into the patientsupport apparatus so that detection of the RF ID tags is ensured whenthey are positioned within a desired proximity to the support apparatus.When the RF ID tag is worn by a patient lying or sitting on the patientsupport apparatus, the near field transceivers 48 will be able to detectthe RF ID, read the ID associated with the RF ID, and use the IDinformation to correlate other information to it. Such other informationmay include the patient support ID, the current location of the patientsupport, the ID of any one or more other devices that are alreadyassociated with the patient support apparatus, or still otherinformation. After the RF ID tag is read, far field transceiver 50 isprogrammed, in some embodiments, to communicate with a computer onwheels (COW) or a mobile device carried by a caregiver, so that thedevice can use the ID to retrieve the patient medical records, billingrecords, or other information associated with the specific patientsupported on the patient support apparatus. Further, such retrieval ofinformation can happen automatically after the COW or mobile device hasassociated itself with the patient support apparatus via near fieldcommunication so that the caregiver carrying the mobile device, or usingthe COW, will not have to manually retrieve medical records for aparticular patient when they approach that patient's bed. Instead, suchrecords can be brought up automatically.

When the near field transceivers 48 are configured to detect RF ID tagsworn by caregivers, controller 54 of the patient support apparatus (anyembodiment) is programmed to take one or more specific actionsautomatically when the nearby presence (within near field range) of acaregiver is detected. Such specific actions could include turning onthe ability of the patient support apparatus to implement poweredmovement. That is, in some embodiments, the patient support apparatus isequipped with one or more motors that assist in the movement of thesupport apparatus from one location to another. One example of such apatient support apparatus is disclosed in commonly assigned, U.S. pat.application Ser. No. 61/702,316, filed Sep. 18, 2012, by applicantsRichard A. Derenne et al., and entitled POWERED PATIENT SUPPORTAPPARATUS, the complete disclosure of which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference. More specifically, in at least one embodiment, nearfield transceivers 48 are used to read, and determine the location of,the RF ID worn by the caregiver in step 72 of the algorithm disclosed inthis commonly assigned patent application. This can be done with orwithout the use of one or more flux concentrators 114. Once the presenceof any caregiver-worn RF ID tag is no longer detected by near fieldtransceivers 48, then controller 54 will disable the powered movementability of the patient support apparatus. In this manner, unintendedmovement of the patient support apparatus by individuals not authorizedto move the support apparatus, or otherwise not familiar with thecontrols of the patient support apparatus, are prevented or avoided.

Controller 54 of the patient support apparatus (any embodiment) can alsobe programmed to take—either in addition to, or in lieu of, the poweredmovement activation and deactivation mentioned above—the step of turningon and turning off one or more other sensors on the patient supportapparatus based upon the detection, or absence, of any caregiver-worn RFIDs, as determined by the one or more near field transceivers 48positioned on the patient support apparatus. For example, commonlyassigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/767,943, filed byDonna-Marie Robertson et al. on Feb. 15, 2013 and entitled PATIENTSUPPORT APPARATUS AND CONTROLS THEREFOR (the complete disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated herein by reference), discloses a patientsupport apparatus having load cells, gesture sensors, and/or othersensors, that may be manipulated to control one or more aspects of thepatient support apparatus. In some situations, it is desirable toautomatically shut off the functionality of one or more of thosecontrols when no caregiver is positioned within the vicinity of thepatient support apparatus, while in other situations it is desirable toautomatically turn on the functionality of those controls when acaregiver is present. Near field transceivers 48 and controller 54 canbe used to detect the presence of an RF ID tag worn by a caregiver and,depending upon its presence or absence, turn on or off any of thecontrols described in the '099 application, which may be incorporatedinto any of the patient support apparatus embodiments discussed herein.One algorithm for implementing this is discussed below with respect toFIG. 22.

Near field transceivers 48 are also able, in any of the patient supportapparatus embodiments discussed herein, to have controller 54, oranother controller in communication with near field transceivers 48,automatically turn on or off one or more patient care protocols that arecarried out, or monitored by, the patient support apparatus. Patientsupport apparatuses that are adapted to assist in compliance with one ormore patient care protocols are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/570,934 filed Aug. 9, 2012 by applicantsMichael Hayes et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT WITH IN-ROOM DEVICECOMMUNICATION, the complete disclosure of which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference. The activation, de-activation, or monitoring ofthese patient care protocols can be based, either wholly or partially,upon the detection of a near field communication device that is withinnear field communication of the patient support apparatus. Thus, any ofthe patient support apparatuses disclosed herein can be modified toinclude the patient care protocol functions disclosed in the '934application, and the near field transceivers can be used to turn on,off, or carry out these protocols. Such turning on or off of theseprotocols can be carried out via control algorithm 171 discussed below.

As but one example of automatically adjusting patient care protocols,near field transceivers 48 are used to detect the nearby presence(within near field ranges 128) of a ventilator. After detecting thenearby ventilator, controller 54, or another controller on board thepatient support apparatus, is configured to automatically implement thepatient care protocol that seeks to reduce the risk of ventilatorassociated pneumonia. This includes, among other things, monitoring theangle of the head section 38 of the support deck 30 with respect tohorizontal and ensuring that this angle does not decrease below athreshold. Controller 54 may also automatically implement, terminate, ormonitor the progress of other patient care protocols based upon thedetection of RF ID tags worn by caregivers or patients, or attached toequipment, or the detection of other non-RF ID tags that utilize nearfield communication. Such other patient care protocols include, but arenot limited to, fall prevention protocols, caregiver hand washingcompliance protocols, dialysis protocols, patient turning protocols, andothers.

FIG. 22 illustrates one version of a control algorithm 171 that isusable by any of the patient support apparatus embodiments discussedherein. Control algorithm 171 is carried out by controller 54, eitheralone or in conjunction with one or more controllers that are positionedon the patient support apparatus. Control algorithm 171 is used tochange a state of the patient support apparatus based upon the detectionof a near field transceiver that has the proper authorization forchanging that particular state. As noted above, the state of the patientsupport apparatus that is changed is, in some embodiments, the turningon or off of one or more sensors, or the changing of one or more patientcare protocols. In addition to these, the change in state includeschanges to the accessibility of data stored on the patient supportapparatus. For example, the nearby presence of a caregiver wearing anappropriate RF ID tag (having a near field transceiver) will cause thepatient support apparatus to change states such that the control panelwill display patient information that would otherwise be confidential inthe absence of the authorized caregiver. As another example, anauthorized technician wearing an RF ID tag (having an ID indicative ofhis or her status as a technician) will cause the patient supportapparatus to change to a state where maintenance and/or usage dataregarding the patient support apparatus is available via the one or moreuser interfaces. In this manner, authorized individuals wearing theappropriate RF ID tags automatically gain access to functions and/ordata when they are present and in the vicinity of the patient supportapparatus, and such access is automatically shut off after they move outof the vicinity of the patient support apparatus.

Control algorithm 171 starts at step 173 where controller 54 broadcastsa near field message. At step 175, controller 54 monitors its associatedantenna for any near field responses to the message it broadcast at step173. If no responses are received, then control returns to step 173,where another near field message is broadcast. If controller 54 receivesa valid response to its near field message at step 175, it determinesthe authorization level, if any, of the respondent. That is, therespondent's message includes an identifier of the type of device therespondent is. If the respondent is a medical device, furniture,mattress, or some other piece of equipment, then controller 54 returnsto step 173. However, if the ID of the respondent corresponds to a nearfield transceiver carried or worn by a caregiver or authorized personnel(e.g. an appropriate RF ID card), then controller 54 proceeds to step179 where it changes one or more states of the patient supportapparatus. The changed state depends, in one embodiment, upon the typeof person wearing the near field transceiver (e.g. technicians willchange a different state than a caregiver). At step 181, controller 54sends another near field message confirming that the respondent is stillwithin near field communication distance. If it is (as determined by thereceipt of a near field response message), then controller returns tostep 179, where it continues to maintain the patient support apparatusin the changed state. If the respondent is no longer within near fieldcommunication distance, as determined at step 181, then controller 54proceeds to step 183 where it returns the patient support apparatus backto the original state it was in prior to step 179. Control then returnsback to original step 173. Many modifications of algorithms 171 are, ofcourse, possible.

Any of the patient support apparatuses disclosed herein may further beconfigured, in some embodiments, to include one or more far fieldtransceivers 50 that are capable of communicating via a mesh network.When so configured, the far field transceivers 50 operate in any of themanners disclosed in commonly assigned, U.S. provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 61/640,138 filed Apr. 30, 2012 by applicantsMichael Hayes et al., and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSCOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, the complete disclosure of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference. One such manner includes initiallycommunicating with other patient support apparatuses via near fieldcommunications so as to verify their nearby physical proximity. When thenearby presence of another patient support apparatus is detected viatransceivers 48, communication between the two patient supportapparatuses (via near of far field) is implemented to transfer data fromone support apparatus to the other when transferring a patient from onesupport apparatus to another. Such data may include patient ID, theassociation of the patient with the new patient support apparatus,weight data to verify the movement of the patient off one supportapparatus to the other, and still other data.

In still other embodiments, any of the patient support apparatusesdisclosed herein may be configured to include a universal air and/orenergy supply system such as is disclosed in commonly assigned, U.S.pat. application Ser. No. 13/220,106 filed Aug. 29, 2011 by applicantsMartin Stryker et al., and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT WITH UNIVERSALENERGY SUPPLY SYSTEM, the complete disclosure of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference. When so configured, the one or morenear field transceivers 48 on the patient support apparatus areconfigured to detect near field RF ID cards attached to the devices thatreceive energy or air from the patient support apparatus, or withcorresponding near field transceivers that are incorporated into suchdevices.

In yet other embodiments, any of the patient support apparatusesdisclosed herein may further include a wireless pendant or pedestal thatis adapted to be used by a patient and/or caregiver for controlling oneor more aspects of the patient support apparatus. Such a pendant orpedestal may also include one or more controls for controlling variousaspects of the patient room, such as a television, curtains, roomlighting, or other electrical or electronic objects within the room. Thependant or pedestal includes a near field transceiver that is adapted tocommunicate with the near field transceivers 48 included on the patientsupport apparatus when the transceivers are within near field range ofeach other (i.e. when the pendant is within near field communicationrange 128). In other words, when the pendant or pedestal is within nearfield range of the patient support apparatus, the controller 54 on thepatient support apparatus associates that pendant or pedestal with thatparticular patient support apparatus and carries out the controlsaccording to what a patient or caregiver inputs via the pendant orpedestal. If the wireless pendant or pedestal is moved to within nearfield communication range of another patient support apparatus, it canbe used to control the features of that particular patient supportapparatus.

Some embodiments also include a wireless pendant that is capable ofreceiving and/or transmitting high definition video signals. In suchcases, the patient support apparatus includes a router, gateway, orother electronic structure that is in communication with the healthcarecomputer network, and/or it includes a 4G cell phone mobilecommunication platform. In either case, the patient support apparatushas the ability to receive video signals, or other high data signals,through the wireless connection to the healthcare network or via the 4Gconnection. The pendant may include a display on it allowing a patientto watch videos right on the pendant. Alternatively, the pendant can beconfigured to either forward the video signals to a nearby television,or it can be configured to instruct controller 54 on the patient supportapparatus to forward the signals directly to nearby television. In stillother embodiments, the pendant may forward, or direct controller 54 toforward, the video signals to one or more display screens that arepositioned at one or more locations on the patient support apparatus,such as the footboard, or one of the side rails on the patient supportapparatus. The pendant associates itself with a particular patientsupport apparatus using near field communications in any of the mannersdescribed above.

It will be understood that the use of the term “transceiver” throughoutthis specification is not intended to be limited to devices in which atransmitter and receiver are necessarily within the same housing, orshare some circuitry. Instead, the term “transceiver” is used broadlyherein to refer to both structures in which circuitry is shared betweenthe transmitter and receiver, and transmitter-receivers in which thetransmitter and receiver do not share circuitry and/or a common housing.Thus, the term “transceiver” refers to any device having a transmittercomponent and a receiver component, regardless of whether the twocomponents are a common entity, separate entities, or have some overlapin their structures.

Finally, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that any ofthe embodiments described above that use near field communication toestablish an association between the patient support apparatus andanother device can be modified to use either infrared or soniccommunication in order to establish associations between the patientsupport apparatus and the other device.

The above description is that of various illustrative embodiments of theinvention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departingfrom the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in theappended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with theprinciples of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. Thisdisclosure is presented for illustrative purposes and should not beinterpreted as an exhaustive description of all embodiments of theinvention or to limit the scope of the claims to the specific elementsillustrated or described in connection with these embodiments. Forexample, and without limitation, any individual element(s) of thedescribed invention may be replaced by alternative elements that providesubstantially similar functionality or otherwise provide adequateoperation. This includes, for example, presently known alternativeelements, such as those that might be currently known to one skilled inthe art, and alternative elements that may be developed in the future,such as those that one skilled in the art might, upon development,recognize as an alternative. Further, the disclosed embodiments includea plurality of features that are described in concert and that mightcooperatively provide a collection of benefits. The present invention isnot limited to only those embodiments that include all of these featuresor that provide all of the stated benefits, except to the extentotherwise expressly set forth in the issued claims. Any reference toclaim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,”“an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element tothe singular.

What is claimed is:
 1. A patient support apparatus comprising: a patientsupport deck adapted to support a patient thereon; a near fieldcommunication transceiver adapted to communicate with a footboard ifsaid footboard is positioned within a near field vicinity of said nearfield communication transceiver, said footboard being attachable to, anddetachable from, said patient support apparatus and said footboardhaving an identifier associated therewith; a first far fieldcommunication transceiver adapted to communicate with the footboard; asecond far field communication transceiver incorporated into thefootboard, the second far field communication transceiver adapted tocommunicate with said first far field communication transceiver; and acontroller in communication with said near field communicationtransceiver and said first far field communication transceiver, saidcontroller adapted to use the identifier received from the footboard viathe near field communication transceiver to associate said patientsupport apparatus and said footboard and to use the identifier whentransmitting a message to the footboard via the first far fieldcommunication transceiver such that another device positioned withinreception range of the first far field communication transceiver doesnot utilize the message.
 2. The patient support apparatus of claim 1wherein said controller disassociates said footboard from said patientsupport apparatus when said near field communication transceiver isunable to communicate with said footboard.
 3. The patient supportapparatus of claim 1 wherein said patient support apparatus stopscommunicating with said footboard using the first far fieldcommunication transceiver if the patient support apparatus is no longerable to communicate with the footboard using the near fieldcommunication transceiver.
 4. The patient support apparatus of claim 3further including a flux concentrator spaced from said near fieldcommunication transceiver, said flux concentrator adapted to concentratemagnetic flux from said near field communication transceiver.
 5. Thepatient support apparatus of claim 2 wherein said controller, afterdisassociating said footboard from said patient support apparatus,forwards data indicating said disassociation to a location remote fromboth said footboard and said patient support apparatus.
 6. The patientsupport apparatus of claim 5 wherein said controller forwards said datawirelessly to a healthcare computer network in the same facility inwhich said patient support apparatus is located.
 7. The patient supportapparatus of claim 6 wherein said data is forwarded wirelessly by atransceiver positioned on said patient support apparatus that isdifferent from said near field communication transceiver and said firstfar field communication transceiver.
 8. The patient support apparatus ofclaim 1 further including a display on said patient support apparatusthat is in communication with said controller, said display adapted todisplay information indicating the association between said footboardand said patient support apparatus.
 9. The patient support apparatus ofclaim 1 further including transmitting information indicative of alocation of said patient support apparatus from said patient supportapparatus to said footboard.
 10. The patient support apparatus of claim1 further including a flux concentrator positioned between said nearfield communication transceiver and a second near field communicationtransceiver incorporated into said footboard.
 11. The patient supportapparatus of claim 1 wherein said near field communication transceiveris adapted to forward information identifying said patient supportapparatus to said footboard.
 12. The patient support apparatus of claim1 wherein said patient support apparatus is one of a bed, stretcher,cot, chair, or operating table.
 13. The patient support apparatus ofclaim 1 further including: a base having a plurality of wheels; a heightadjustment mechanism for raising and lowering said patient support deckwith respect to said base; an actuator adapted to change an angularorientation of said patient support deck; and a plurality of siderailspositioned along respective sides of said patient support deck, saidsiderails being movable between a raised and a lowered position.
 14. Thepatient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein said footboard furtherincludes a first inductive power coil adapted to inductively receiveelectrical power from a second inductive power coil positioned on saidpatient support apparatus, whereby said footboard may receive powerthrough said first inductive power coil from said second inductive powercoil.
 15. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 further comprising anetwork transceiver adapted to communicate with a healthcare computernetwork, wherein the controller is adapted to forward data indicatingthe association between the patient support apparatus and the footboardto the healthcare computer network.
 16. The patient support apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the near field communication transceiver is adapted tocommunicate with said footboard both before and after said first farfield communication transceiver sends the message to said footboard. 17.A patient support apparatus comprising: a base; a frame supported onsaid base; a patient support deck adapted to support a patient thereon;a first transceiver adapted to establish initial communication with adevice using a first communication protocol having a first data transferrate, the initial communication including an initial message having anidentifier identifying at least one of said patient support apparatusand said device; a controller adapted to associate the patient supportapparatus with the device if the first transceiver is able to establishthe initial communication with the device; and a second transceiveradapted to establish communication with the device after the controllerhas associated the patient support apparatus and the device, the secondtransceiver using a second communication protocol having a second datatransfer rate that is higher than said first data transfer rate, thesecond transceiver using the identifier in order to communicate with thedevice rather than another device positioned within reception range ofthe second transceiver.
 18. The patient support apparatus of claim 17further including: a plurality of wheels coupled to the base; a heightadjustment mechanism for raising and lowering said patient support deckwith respect to said base; and a plurality of siderails positioned alongrespective sides of said patient support deck, said siderails beingmovable between a raised and a lowered position.
 19. The patient supportapparatus of claim 17 wherein said controller communicates with saiddevice initially using said first communication protocol.
 20. Thepatient support apparatus of claim 17 wherein said controllerrepetitively communicates with said device using the first communicationprotocol.
 21. The patient support apparatus of claim 17 wherein saidcontroller stops communicating with said device using the secondcommunication protocol if the patient support apparatus is no longerable to communicate with the device using the first communicationprotocol.
 22. The patient support apparatus of claim 21 wherein saidfirst communication protocol is Bluetooth or ZigBee.
 23. The patientsupport apparatus of claim 22 wherein said second communication protocolfollows standard ISO/IEC
 18092. 24. The patient support apparatus ofclaim 22 wherein said patient support apparatus is one of a bed,stretcher, or cot.
 25. The patient support apparatus of claim 24 whereinsaid patient support apparatus records in memory times when said firsttransceiver establishes communication with the device, as well asinformation identifying the device.
 26. A patient support apparatuscomprising: a patient support deck adapted to support a patient thereon;a controller adapted to control at least one aspect of said patientsupport apparatus; a near field communication transceiver adapted tocommunicate with a device; a flux concentrator spaced from said nearfield communication transceiver, said flux concentrator adapted toconcentrate magnetic flux from said near field communicationtransceiver; and a far field communication transceiver adapted tocommunicate with said device; wherein said patient support apparatusstops communicating with said device using the far field communicationtransceiver if the patient support apparatus is no longer able tocommunicate with the device using the near field communicationtransceiver.
 27. The patient support apparatus of claim 26 wherein saidpatient support apparatus is one of a bed, stretcher, or cot.
 28. Thepatient support apparatus of claim 27 wherein said controller is adaptedto determine an identity of said device by communicating with saiddevice through either said near field or far field communicationtransceivers.
 29. The patient support apparatus of claim 27 wherein saidpatient support apparatus includes a plurality of said near fieldcommunication transceivers, and said controller is adapted to associatesaid device and said patient support apparatus if any one of saidplurality of near field communication transceivers is able tocommunicate with said device.
 30. The patient support apparatus of claim27 wherein said device is a mattress positionable on said patientsupport deck.
 31. The patient support apparatus of claim 27 wherein saiddevice is any one of: a mattress positioned on said patient supportdeck, a pedestal positioned on said patient support apparatus andadapted to control a mattress on said patient support deck, a medicaldevice associated with a patient supported on said patient supportapparatus, a piece of furniture, a footboard on said patient supportapparatus, and a portable computing device that is transportable byauthorized personnel.